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THE  CHURCH    IN   THE  FORT. 

The  oldest  place  of  -JJorship  of  the  Reformed  Church  in 
America — in  the  fort  on  Manhattan  Islaiid,  near  "Bowling 
Green,"  New  York  City.  Its  first  minister,  Jonas  Mich- 
aeliiis,  li'as  installed  in  162S. 


Our  Home  Mission  Work 

An  Outline  Study  of  the  Home  Mission 

Work  of  the  Reformed  Church 

in  the  United  States 


CHARLES  E.  SCHAEFFER,  D.  D. 
General  Secretary  of  the  Board  of  Home  Missions 


PHILADELPHIA 

PUBLICATION  AND  SUNDAY  SCHOOL    BOARD 

OF  THE  REFORMED  CHURCH  IN 

THE  UNITED  STATES 

1914 


To   OUR 

Home   Missionaries 

THE  Devoted  Men  and  their  Wives 

Who  Labor  Earnestly  in  Building 

THE  Kingdom  of  God 

into  the  Life  of  the  Nation 

THIS  Book  Is  Affectionately  Dedicated 

BY  THE  Author 


CONTENTS 

Chapter  Page 

Preface 7 

I    Otjr  History 11 

II    Our  Territory 37 

III  City  and  Country 69 

IV  Our  Immigrant  Work 99 

V    Our  German  Work  131 

VI  Our  Church-building  Funds 151 

VII  An  Adequate  Support  of  the  Work 177 

VIII  The  Larger  Meaning  of  Home  Missions.  .  . .  209 

Appendix  1 235 

Appendix  II 243 

Index 251 


PREFACE 

In  November  1863  the  General  Synod  of 
the  Reformed  Chm*ch  in  the  United  States 
was  organized.  Along  with  other  Boards 
intended  to  carry  forward  the  general  work 
of  the  Church,  the  Board  of  Home  Missions 
was  elected. 

These  fifty  years  are  characterized  by  a 
steady  growth  of  oui  denominational  life. 
The  Home  Mission  enterprise  lies  at  the 
foundation  of  this  splendid  work.  A  com- 
plete and  comprehensive  account  thereof  has 
never  been  written.  Nmnerous  histories  of 
our  Church  in  the  Old  World  and  in  the  New 
have  from  time  to  time  appeared,  which 
have  done  much  to  keep  fresh  in  our  mem- 
ories the  heritage  of  the  fathers.  We  have, 
however,  been  making  new  history  in  these 
latter  days,  and  some  of  these  facts  need  to 
be  chronicled. 

In  the  year  1896,  when  the  Eastern  Synod 
observed  its  sesqui-centennial.  Superintend- 
ent A.  C.  Whitmer  published  a  valuable 
compendium  of  Home  Mission  data  under 

7 


8  Preface 

the  title  of  "One  Hundred  and  Fifty  Years 
of  Home  Missionary  Activity,"  gleaned  from 
the  proceedings  of  the  Synods  and  from  other 
reliable  som'ces.  The  arrangement  of  his 
material  is  chronological,  and  consequently 
does  not  lend  itself  so  readily  to  our  modern 
purposes  of  Mission  Study.  Besides,  during 
this  intervening  period  some  progress  in  the 
work  of  Home  Missions  has  been  made,  and 
a  new  volume,  approaching  the  subject 
from  a  somewhat  different  angle,  made 
necessary  by  changed  conditions  and  by  a 
new  purpose,  is  needed.  The  material  here 
is  arranged  topically  and  is  intended  for 
Mission  Study  purposes. 

Many  of  our  people  are  engaged  in  Mis- 
sion Study.  Summer  conferences  in  various 
sections  of  the  Church,  with  a  view  of 
promoting  such  study,  are  conducted  an- 
nually. The  author  indulges  the  hope  that 
this  course  of  studies  on  our  denominational 
work  in  the  homeland,  may  furnish  our 
young  people,  and  our  church  workers  in 
general,  with  a  fund  of  material  which  will 
enable  them  to  form  a  clearer  conception  of 
our  Home  Mission  task  and  will  call  forth 
a  steadier  loyalty  and  a  stronger  interest  in 
the  work. 


Preface  9 

In  the  preparation  of  this  volume  I  have 
drawn  from  many  sources.  Within  the  last 
decade  the  literature  on  Home  Missions  has 
greatly  multiplied.  At  the  end  of  each 
chapter  are  indicated  certain  books  and 
pamphlets  which  have  been  found  helpful 
and  to  which  the  reader  is  referred  for  more 
advanced  study. 

During  the  past  year  four  Commissions, 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Laymen's  Mission- 
ary Movement,  made  a  comprehensive  sur- 
vey of  the  Reformed  Church  in  the  United 
States  and  published  their  findings  in  pam- 
phlet form.  The  Survey  and  this  Outline 
Study  of  our  Home  Mission  Work  run  along 
parallel  lines  in  many  places.  It  is,  there- 
fore, proper  to  state  that  fully  half  of  this 
volume  was  in  print  and  was  used  at  the 
summer  conferences  during  1913,  while  the 
commissions  on  the  Survey  were  not  ap- 
pointed till  afterwards. 

I  owe  a  debt  of  gratitude  to  Mr.  John  H. 
Poorman,  Secretary  of  the  Mission  Study 
Department,  for  valuable  assistance  in  pre- 
paring the  illustrations,  and  to  Superinten- 
dent A.  C.  Whitmer  for  reading  the  manu- 
script and  for  many  helpful  suggestions. 
Charles  E.  Schaeffer, 

Philadelphia,  Pa.,  June,  1914. 


OUR  HISTORY 


THE  PRESSING  DEMAND 

A  Church  big  enough  to  overspread  a 
big  land;  broad  enough  in  its  sympathies 
to  appeal  to  and  be  appealed  to  by  all 
the  classes  of  our  society;  eager  enough 
to  carry  the  message  of  a  saving  gospel 
that  all  our  polyglot  people  shall  hear 
and  understand;  homely  enough  to 
make  itself  at  home  among  the  lowliest; 
confident  enough  of  the  dignity  of  its 
mission  to  press  its  claims  upon  the 
loftiest;  sure  enough  of  its  truth  to 
commend  the  wisdom  of  God's  salvation 
to  the  wise;  simple  enough  in  interpreta- 
tion of  the  truth  that  the  simplest- 
minded  may  not  faO  of  comprehending; 
hopeful  enough  of  its  triumph  to  be  the 
worthy  minister  of  God  who  would  have 
all  men  saved;  sagacious  enough  to 
adjust  itself  to  its  delicate  task;  human 
enough  to  be  all  things  to  all  men  and 
touch  the  common  human  chord ;  divine 
enough  to  hallow  hmnan  life  at  every 
turn  of  its  ministry. — McAfee. 


Our  Home  Mission  Work 


OUR  HISTORY 
1.  Early  History 


Two  branches 
of  Protestant- 


To  trace  the  history  of  any  organization 
or  movement  we  must  find  a  suitable  start-  ism 
ing  point.  The  Reformation  during  the 
second  decade  of  the  sixteenth  century 
forms  the  watershed  of  modern  ecclesiastical 
history.  Two  distinct  branches  of  Prot- 
estantism emerged,  which  Dr.  PhiUp  Schaff, 
the  great  church  historian,  designates  as  the 
Lutheran  and  the  Reformed.  Both  of  these 
branches  subdivided  into  numerous  denom- 
inations. 

"The     Reformed     movement     spread     over  The  Reformed 
Europe  and   became   an  organized    Church  in  '^^^^ 
many  countries.     In  Holland  we  have  the  Dutch 
Reformed;  in  Germany,  the  German  Reformed; 
in   France,    the   Huguenots;   in   Scotland,    the 

13 


14  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

Presbyterians.  The  Churches  of  the  Reformed 
type,  unlike  the  Lutheran,  did  not  keep  one 
name  or  one  confession  to  bind  them  together. 
They  are,  however,  animated  by  a  common 
spirit  which  appears  in  their  cultus,  polity  and 
doctrine,  and  which  makes  them  members  of 
one  spiritual  household.  The  names  given  to 
the  various  Reformed  Churches  were  taken 
from  the  land  in  which  they  were  established,  or 
from  their  form  of  government,  or  from  some 
other  prominent  characteristic.  In  the  broad- 
est sense,  then,  the  Reformed  Churches  are  all 
those  Protestant  denominations  which  are  not 
Lutheran  and  Anabaptist.  Their  membership 
throughout  the  world  is,  according  to  Professor 
Kattenbusch,  100,000,000  —  57,000,000  in 
America. 
Our  Official  "The  Reformed  Church  in  the  United  States 

Name  is  a  member  of  the  Reformed  family  of  Churches 

and  is  composed  mainly  of  the  descendants  of 
German,  Swiss  and  French  Reformed  people 
who  settled  in  this  country.  The  prevailing 
national  elements  are  German  and  Swiss,  but 
these,  in  the  last  one  hundred  and  seventy-five 
years  have  been  so  thoroughly  Americanized 
and  Anglicised  that  the  official  name  was 
changed  from  'The  German  Reformed  Church' 
to  'The  Reformed  Church  in  the  United  States.' 
Historically  its  nearest  kin  are  the  Dutch  Re- 
formed, the  Presbyterians  and  the  Congrega- 
tionalists. 

"In  point  of  time  the  Reformed  Church  in 
the  United  States  is  among  the  oldest  Prot- 
estant Churches.     In  point  of  its  past  history 


Our  History  15 

it  is  the  martyr  Church  of  Protestantism.  In 
point  of  its  genius  it  is  the  most  liberal  and  yet 
the  most  Protestant  of  all  Churches  in  Christen- 
dom. Owing  to  its  German  origin,  it  has  not 
advanced  as  rapidly  as  the  English  denomina- 
tions. Yet  it  has  taken  a  noble  part  from 
colonial  times,  in  the  education,  civilization  and 
christianization  of  a  substantial  portion  of  our 
great  Republic."* 

After  the  discovery  of  America  almost  a  '^"^^^  Protest- 

,  .  ,  lie  J 1        ant  Church  in 

century  and  a  quarter  elapsed  bet  ore  the  America 
first  Protestant  Chiu-ch  was  established  in 
this  country.  The  oldest  church  with  a  con- 
tinuous history  in  America  is  the  Collegiate 
Reformed  church  of  New  York.  Its  first 
pastor  was  the  Rev.  Jonas  Michaelius,  who 
organized  the  congregation  during  the  sum- 
mer of  1628.  It  is  significant  that  the  first 
church  bell  in  America  hung  in  the  steeple 
of  this  church.  The  first  organ  in  America 
was  likewise  first  used  in  this  church.  Peter 
Minuit,  the  first  Governor  of  New  York, 
then  called  New  Amsterdam,  was  an  elder 
in  this  church. 

Another  hundred  years  passed  by  before  German 
the  German  Reformed  Church  was  planted  ^'°°®^* 
here.     At  the  close  of  the  seventeenth  cen- 


*Quoted  from  an  address  by  Prof.  George  W.  Rich- 
ards, Theological  Seminary,  Lancaster,  Penna. 


16  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

tury  and  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth,  a 
tidal  wave  of  German  Reformed  immigra- 
tion to  this  country  set  in,  due  largely  to 
religious  persecution  and  to  desolation 
wTought  by  frequent  wars  in  the  German 
fatherland.  Many  German  families  thus 
settled  in  New  York,  New  Jersey,  Pennsyl- 
vania and  in  the  other  colonies.  "They 
built  their  church  and  beside  the  church  their 
schools,  and  there  they  grew  and  produced 
men  worth  producing." 

''Amid  the  storm  they  sang  and  the  stars  heard  and  the 

sea, 
And  the  sounding  aisles  of  the  dim  woods  rang  to  the 
anthem  of  the  free." 

Many  of  these  early  pioneers  of  the  faith 
must  in  course  of  time  have  identified  them- 
selves with  the  Dutch  Reformed,  the  Presby- 
terian and  other  Churches.  In  various 
localities,  however,  they  met  and  organized 
congregations  without  a  regular  minister. 
Usually  the  school-master  or  some  other 
intelligent  man  of  the  community  would 
conduct  services  which  ''generally  consisted 
in  reading  prayers  from  a  European  liturgy, 
and  a  sermon  from  some  approved  collec- 
tion."* 

*Dubb's  Historic  Manual,  p.  166. 


Our  History  17 

The  earliest   congregations   of   which   we  ^^^    Earnest 

■,  •  Congrega- 

have  any  authentic  records  are  three,  viz.:  tions 
Falkner  Swamp,  Skippack  and  Whitemarsh. 
These  are  located  within  fifty  miles  north 
of  Philadelphia,  and  are  still  in  existence. 
They  were  served  by  John  Philip  Boehm, 
who  was  a  school-master  prior  to  his  coming 
to  this  country  in  1720.  For  five  years  he 
served  them  as  "lay  reader,"  but  was  sub- 
sequently ordained  by  the  Dutch  Reformed 
Churches  of  New  York  City.  We  thus 
trace  the  beginning  of  om-  denominational 
history  in  this  country  to  the  year  1720. 
WTiat  a  feeble  beginning  it  was!  The  three 
congregations  served  by  Boehm  in  1728 
reported  24,  20  and  14  members  respectively. 

Our  Church  was  then  a  foreign  mission  we  were  a 
under  the  care  of  the  Church  of  Holland,  ^"'"^'s'^  ^'^- 
from  which  it  received  aid  in  the  form  of 
ministers  and  money.*  Without  this  assist- 
ance from  abroad  it  is  doubtful  whether  the 
newly  established  congregations  could  have 
survived.  "The  condition  of  our  people 
during  this  period  was  extremely  sad.  Or- 
ganized  congregations   were   few   and   very 


*  Every  year  from  fifteen  hundred  to  three  thousand 
guilders  were  sent  from  Holland  in  aid  of  the  German 
Reformed  churches. 
2 


18  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

scattered,  the  people  were  poor,  pastors 
were  scarce,  wolves  were  many,  children 
grew  up  without  baptism  and  without 
schools,  and  the  mother  Church  was  three 
thousand  miles  away."*  In  1734  Boehm 
made  the  following  interesting  statistical 
report!  to  the  Synods  in  Holland: 

Congregations  Communicants 

At  Falkner  Swamp  were  found  Sept.  22,  1734 63 

At  Skippack  were  found  Sept.  29,  1734 41 

At  VlTiitemarsli  were  found  Oct.  6,  1734 22 

At  Philadelphia  were  found  Sept.  15,  1734 88 

At  Germantown  were  found  (according  to  the  state- 
ment of  two  elders,  named  Minck  and  Bentzel) 

in  the  month  of  September,  1734 30 

At  Conestoga  were  found  May  31,  1730 75 

At  Tulpehocken  were  found  June  28,  1728 27 

At   Goshenhoppen    (according  to  the  statement   of 

some   members)    about 40 

386 

Besides  these  eight  congregations  he  calls 
attention  to  certain  preaching  points  such 
as  Oley,  Saucon,  Macungie,  Maxatawny  and 
Great  Swamp. 


*  Whitmer — ' '  150  Years  of  Home  Missionary  Activity, " 
p.  11. 

t  Minutes  of  the  Coetus,  p.  1. 


FALKXER  SWAMP  REFcjk.\l|-.l)  LllLKLll. 
MONTGOMERY  COUNTY,  PA. 

This  Church  zvas  erected  in  1790,  the  steeple  was  added  later.  The 
original  building  7vas  a  frame  structure  which  stood  for  at  least  forty- 
seven  rears. 


Our  History  19 

In  the  year  1746  a  new  day  began  to  dawn.  First  Mission- 
Rev.  Michael  Schlatter  arrived  in  this  coun-  Zldent'^'"'" 
try  to  look  after  the  scattered  interests  of 
the  Reformed  Church.  He  was  sent  by 
''the  Reverend  Deputies  of  the  Synod  of 
South  and  North  Holland."  He  was  the 
first  Missionary  Superintendent  of  our 
Chiu-ch.  He  found  a  number  of  congrega- 
tions scattered  all  the  way  from  New  York 
to  the  Carolinas.  He  called  a  meeting  of 
the  ministers  in  his  own  house  in  Philadel- 
phia, and  subsequently,  in  1747,  organized 
them  into  a  Coetus. 

Four  ministers  and  twenty-seven  elders  Earnest  or- 
comprised  the  organization.  Its  functions  ^'^"'^^ '°° 
were  purely  advisory.  It  had  to  send  its 
minutes  to  Holland  for  approval.  It  was 
not  allowed  to  ordain  its  candidates  for  the 
ministry.  But  in  the  face  of  these  condi- 
tions the  infant  Church  grew  and  developed. 
In  1750  we  had  46  regularly  organized  con- 
gregations, and  a  total  estimated  member- 
ship of  from  ten  to  fifteen  thousand.  In 
1770  we  had  fifteen  pastors,  and  in  1776  about 
twenty. 

In  1793  the  Coetus  declared  itself  inde-  spirit  of  in. 
pendent  of  the  Synod  of  HoUand,  and  be-  ^^^^^^^^^^ 
came  ''the  Synod  of  the  German  Reformed 
Church  in  the  United  States."     It  was  a 


20 


Our  Home  Mission  Work 


A  slow  Awak- 
ening 


Lengthening 
of  the  cords 


great  step  forward.  It  was  doubtless 
prompted  by  a  number  of  concurrent  fac- 
tors. The  Church  had  outgrown  its  limita- 
tions. The  spirit  of  independence  was  rife 
among  the  colonies,  and  the  Church  came 
to  be  dominated  by  the  same  spirit  of  free- 
dom. 

Throwing  off  the  yoke  of  dependence 
the  Church  but  slowly  awoke  to  a  conscious- 
ness of  its  mission  as  a  denomination  in  this 
country.  *'In  a  weak,  spasmodic  way  the 
Synod  attempted  to  respond  to  the  earnest 
appeals  of  the  infant  churches  on  the  front- 
iers, and  several  ministers  were  at  an  early 
date  commissioned  to  visit  the  vacant 
congregations  of  the  South  and  West,  re- 
ceiving for  their  services  a  small  stipend 
from  the  treasmy  of  the  Synod."* 

Thus,  Rev.  John  William  Weber  as  early 
as  1783  went  into  Westmoreland  county, 
Pennsylvania,  and  established  the  Reformed 
Church  beyond  the  Alleghanies.  Churches 
were  founded  at  an  early  date  in  Virginia, 
North  Carolina  and  South  Carolina,  also  in 
Maine,  and  as  far  north  as  Nova  Scotia. 
If  proper  missionary  efforts  had  been  put 
forth,  our  Church  might  have  been  estab- 


*  Historic  Manual,  p.  315. 


Our  History  21 

lished  in  practicall}''  every  one  of  the  colonies. 
From  lack  of  pastoral  oversight  many  of 
these  newborn  congregations  in  com'se  of 
time  disbanded,  or  affiliated  themselves 
with  other  denominations. 

In  the  year  1812  the  Synod  took  its  first  First  formal 
formal  action  on  the  subject  of  Missions,  Missions" 
when  it  resolved  to  send  several  ministers  to 
the  *' western  country"  and  directed  each 
congregation  to  lift  a  collection  for  this  work. 
From  various  parts  of  the  country  numerous 
calls  for  ministers  came  before  the  Synod, 
which  in  1813  resulted  in  sending  Rev. 
James  R.  Reily  as  visiting  missionary  to 
North  Carolina,  and  in  the  resolution  that 
''all  licentiates  before  settling  in  charges 
should  give  two  or  three  months  to  mission- 
ary tours  under  the  direction  of  Synod,  and 
that  all  pastors  must  take  up  collections  to 
pay  the  traveling  expenses  of  these  men." 

The  year  1819  marks  a  great  change  in  Division  of 
the  administration  of  the  work  when  the  ^°^    '°^° 

Classes 

Synod  divided  itself  into  eight  Classes  as 
follows:  Philadelphia,  Northampton,  Leb- 
anon, Susquehanna,  West  Pennsylvania, 
Zion,  Maryland  and  Ohio.  Maryland 
Classis  then  included  all  the  territory  that 
lay  south  of  Pennsylvania;  and  Ohio  Classis 
included  all  the  territory  that  lay  west  of 


22 


Our  Home  Mission  Work 


Foreshadow- 
ings    ol    a 
Board 


A  Board  Con- 
stituted 


Pennsylvania.  Subsequently,  in  1824, 
Philadelphia  and  Northampton  Classes  were 
united  by  Sjmod  into  a  single  Classis. 

It  wiU  be  observed  that  hitherto  the 
Synod  endeavored  to  carry  forward  its  mis- 
sionary work  without  proper  organization 
for  this  purpose,  and  without  literature  for 
informing  the  Church,  and  educating  her 
members  in  benevolent  giving.  The  nearest 
approach  was  reached  when,  in  1819,  the 
Synod  appointed  a  Missionary  Committee 
''to  examine  into  the  fitness  of  those  who 
wanted  to  be  missionaries,  to  direct  them 
w^here  to  work,  to  pay  their  necessary 
traveling  expenses,  and  to  give  Synod  a 
summary  of  their  reports;"  and  when,  in 
1821,  Synod  ordered  ''every  pastor  not 
only  to  take  up  a  collection  for  Missions,  but 
also  to  explain  to  the  people  the  object  and 
necessity  of  the  offering  and  the  duty  of 
every  member  to  give  it." 

But  evidently  the  hoiu-  had  come  when 
more  definite  organization  became  not  only 
desirable,  but  imperative.  The  Missionary 
Committee  in  1826  recommended  to  Synod 
the  establishment  of  a  Board  of  Home 
Missions.  "The  necessity  for  it,"  said 
they,  "is  as  clear  as  day.  Cries  and  calls 
are  everywhere,  and  no  help  is  at  hand." 


Our  History  23 

The  name  of  the  new  organization  was, 
"The  American  Missionary  Society  of  the 
German  Reformed  Chm-ch. "  It  was  or- 
ganized in  Frederick,  Maryland,  September 
28th,  1826.  Any  person  on  payment  of  one 
dollar  or  more  was  entitled  to  membership, 
and  it  was  expected  that  the  whole  Chm-ch 
might  be  enrolled.  From  its  number  this 
body  elected  annually  a  Board  of  Missions, 
composed  of  twenty-four  persons,  who  at- 
tended to  practically  all  the  work  of  the 
Society.  Besides  the  work  of  Home  Mis- 
sions, there  was  committed  to  this  Society 
also  the  work  of  beneficiary  education  and 
the  publication  interests*  of  the  Church. 

Its  support  was  to  come  from  congrega- 
tions and  from  local  auxiliary  societies,  of 
which  there  were  two,  one  at  Frederick, 
Md.,  and  the  other  at  Germantown,  Pa., 
both  composed  of  women.  In  1832  Susque- 
hanna Classis  organized  itself  into  an  auxil- 
iary society,  and  Sjniod  directed  all  the 
Classes  to  do  so.  But  prejudices  soon 
developed  against  the  American  Missionary 
Society,  and  the  Classes,  refusing  lo  work 
with  the  Board,  kept  their  work  and  their 
funds  in  their  own  hands. 


Local     Auxil- 
iary   Societies 


*The  history  of  our  missionary  publications  will  be 
treated  in  a  subsequent  chapter. 


24  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

Synod's  'pj^g  Sviiod  Consequently  resolved  to  effect 

Board  of  ,  •       ^  i  •       .  •  i    •        ^  r^^^ 

Missions  a  Change  in  the  organization,  and  m  1832 
elected  a  Board  of  Missions  composed  of 
eighteen  members,  two  from  each  of  the 
seven  Classes  and  four  from  the  Church  at 
large.  But  even  this  change  did  not  secure 
the  desired  results.  Thus  it  happened  that 
in  1835  the  Board  reported  receipts  for  the 
previous  year  of  only  $97,203/^,  and  expendi- 
tures of  $54.31.  In  1841  it  had  only  three 
missionaries  and  received  only  $306,  but  had 
an  outlay  of  $736. 

In  1834  a  representative  of  the  American 
Home  Missionary  Society  explained  to  the 
Synod  the  advantages  of  cooperation  in 
Home  Mission  work  with  that  body,  and  our 
Church  entered  into  an  agreement  which 
continued  for  a  number  of  years. 

Movings  From  1828  to  1844  the  Board  of  Missions 

had  its  seat  in  Chambersburg,  Pa.,  in  con- 
nection with  the  Printing  Establishment 
there;  but  when  Synod  in  1844  elected  a 
Board  of  Publication,  the  headquarters  of  the 
Board  of  Missions  were  transferred  to 
Harrisburg,  Pa.,  and  for  twenty  years  there- 
after it  as  wknown  as  "The  Board  of  Do- 
mestic Missions."  In  1854  Lancaster,  Pa., 
became  its  headquarters. 


Our  History  25 

II.  Early  History  in  Ohio 

In  the  year  1800  Ohio  had  a  population  Rapid  Growth 
of  45,000.  In  1810  the  number  had  risen 
to  230,000,  and  in  1820  to  581,000.  Many 
of  these  had  emigrated  from  Eastern  Penn- 
sylvania as  well  as  from  the  fatherland,  and 
among  them  were  many  adherents  of  the 
Reformed  faith.  The  first  Reformed  min- 
ister to  visit  Ohio  was  Rev.  Jacob  Christ- 
man,  who  in  1803  went  to  Warren  county 
and  organized  a  Reformed  congregation  at 
Springboro.  In  1820,  when  Ohio  Classis 
was  organized,  it  had  five  ministers,  fifty 
congregations  and  eighteen  hundred  mem- 
bers. In  1824  the  Classis  became  a  Synod 
with  eleven  ministers,  eighty-four  congrega- 
tions and  twenty-five  hundred  members. 
"At  the  first  meeting  came  calls  from  fifteen 
congregations  for  pastors;  and  again  and 
again  in  after  years  came  appeals  from 
shepherdless  Reformed  people  in  Indiana, 
Illinois,  Mississippi  and  Missouri."  Rev. 
John  Pence  and  Rev.  Henry  Hiestand  were 
appointed  traveling  missionaries  at  $15  and 
$18  per  month  respectively. 

In  1833  Ohio  Synod  appointed  a  ''Com-  owo  synod 
mittee  on  Missions,"  which  was  also  the  orM^issionr 
Committee  on  Examination  and  Licensure. 


26  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

In  1839  the  first  steps  were  taken  toward 
creating  a  Board  of  Missions,  which  how- 
ever was  not  formally  constituted  until 
1844.  It  was  patterned  somewhat  after 
the  Board  of  the  Eastern  Synod.  It  re- 
ceived very  little  money  for  its  work,  and 
the  western  missions  were  supported  in 
large  part  by  the  Eastern  Board.  Thus  there 
were  now  two  Boards,  the  Eastern  and  the 
Western. 

III.  History  of  General  Synod's  Board 
Tercentenary  rpj^^  j.  -j^ggg  marks  auother  epoch  in 
our  denommational  history.  The  Tercen- 
tenary Celebration  of  the  Heidelberg  Cate- 
chism was  one  of  its  distinguishing  features. 
Over  $100,000  was  raised  for  benevolence 
during  the  year.  As  a  direct  outcome  of 
this  celebration  came  the  organization  of 
the  General  Synod  in  November  of  the  same 
year,  and  the  election  of  a  Board  of  Home 
Missions.  The  following  resolution  was 
adopted:  ''That  General  Synod  create  a 
Board  of  Home  Missions,  to  begin  work  as 
soon  as  the  existing  Boards  be  dissolved  by 
their  Synods. "  Ohio  Synod  acted  promptly, 
but  the  Eastern  Synod  postponed  action 
until  1865. 


Our  History  27 

The  consolidation  was  effected  in  Phila-  organization 

of  General 

delphia,  in  November  1865.  The  Eastern  synod-s 
Board  transferred  52  Missions,  the  Western  ^°^''*^ 
15,  and  the  General  Board  added  14  new 
ones,  dropped  10  old  ones,  and  thus  started 
out  with  a  roll  of  71,  thu'ty  of  which  were 
German.  The  officers  of  the  General  Board 
were:  Rev.  Dr.  J.  H.  A.  Bomberger,  Presi- 
dent; Rev.  Dr.  S.  H.  Giesy,  Secretary; 
Elder  Charles  Santee,  Treasurer;  Elder  John 
Wiest,  Treasurer  of  Church-building  mon- 
eys.    All  of  these  men  lived  in  Philadelphia. 

The  Board  entered  upon  its  work  in  good  Bright 
hopes.  It  appeared  as  if,  at  last,  the  Church  ■'""p*'*^*^ 
had  come  out  of  its  wanderings  in  the  wilder- 
ness. Rev.  L.  D.  Leberman  was  promptly 
elected  Corresponding  Secretary.  Synod 
asked  each  Classis  to  appoint  a  committee  on 
missions  for  cooperation  with  the  Board, 
and  urged  every  congregation  to  appoint  a 
special  committee  to  secure  from  individ- 
uals quarterly  or  at  least  yearly  con- 
tributions for  missions.  The  organization 
seemed  to  be  complete.  But  alas!  the 
machinery  did  not  work.  The  Classes  again 
failed  to  co-operate  with  the  General  Board. 
Rev.  Mr.  Leberman  in  1868  resigned  sa 
Corresponding  Secretary,  and  Synod  re- 
quested the  Classes  to  elect  Superintendents 
or  Missionary  Committees. 


28  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

IJe^'^^'^'^  Great  disappointment  and  dissatisfaction 
prevailed  throughout  the  Church.  In  1870 
Ohio  Synod  again  elected  its  own  Board  of 
Missions  as  auxiliary  to  the  General  Board. 
The  Eastern  Synod  in  1871  followed  by 
electing  its  own  Board.  The  whole  Church 
was  excited  and  harassed  by  bitter  theolog- 
ical and  liturgical  controversies.  General 
Synod's  Board  then  transferred  all  its  Mis- 
sions back  to  their  respective  synodical 
Boards,  80  of  them  in  17  States,  and  41  of 
them  west  of  the  Alleghany  mountains.  It 
was  the  ''Dark  Ages"  for  our  Church.  We 
lost  immeasurably  and  irretrievably  through 
our  divisions,  and  the  follies  of  the  past 
ought  to  teach  us  a  lesson  for  the  future. 
Formation  of  In  February  1873  a  special  meeting  of  the 
compTct^'^  Eastern  Synod  was  held  to  discuss  coopera- 
tion in  the  work  of  Missions  with  the  Pitts- 
burgh Synod  and  the  proposed  Synod  of  the 
Potomac,  resulting  in  the  Tri-Synodic  Com- 
pact, which  continued  for  nearly  twenty 
years.  Each  Synod  was  to  have  its  own 
Board ;  but  for  managing  the  work  they  were 
to  form  one  corporate  body,  "The  Board  of 
Missions  of  the  Reformed  Church  in  the 
United  States."  This  compact  was  effected 
September  3,  1875.  At  first  the  work  of  this 
Board  was  confined  to  the  bounds  of  the 


Our  History  29 

three  Synods  which  constituted  it,  and  the 
Pacific  Coast;  but  in  1882  it  started  work 
in  Kansas,  Nebraska  and  Iowa. 

Owing  to  these  changes,  the  Board  of  Efforts  to  re- 
General  Synod  was  for  some  years  com-  ^^^.^ 
paratively  inactive.  The  missionary  work 
of  the  Church  was  done  by  the  District 
Synods*  and  the  Classes.  The  Constitu- 
tion of  the  Church,  however,  clearly  pro- 
vided that  the  General  Synod  should  engage 
diligently  in  Missions,  and  so,  as  early  as 
1884,  a  special  Committee  was  appointed 
to  prepare  a  plan  whereby  the  whole  work 
might  be  carried  forward  under  the  General 
Board. 

In  1887  the  General  Synod  requested  the  Again  under 
District    Synods   to   place   all   their   Home  synod's 
Mission  work  under  the  General  Board  once  Board 
more.     The  Ohio  Synod,  which  in  1870  was 
the  first  to  create  its  own  Board,  was  now 


*  The  Synod 

Organized 

The  Board 

The  Eastern 

1793 

1826 

The  Ohio 

1824 

1845 

'  The  Northwestern 

1867 

1868 

The  Pittsburgh 

1870 

1873 

The  Potomac 

1873 

1873 

The  German  Sjiiod  of  the  East 

1875 

1875 

S  The  Central 

1882 

1882 

The  Interior 

1887 

1887 

tU  a.otVwt 

5.A 

30  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

again  the  first  to  respond  in  transferring  its 
15  missions  back  .to  the  General  Board, 
April  1,  1889.  Pittsbm-gh  Synod  withdrew 
its  seven  missions  from  the  care  of  the  Board 
of  Missions  and  on  January  1,  1890,  gave 
them  to  the  General  Board.  Philadelphia 
Classis  brought  its  four  missions  April  1, 
1890.  The  Eastern  and  the  Potomac 
Synods,  on  April  1,  1892,  transferred  their 
41  missions;  and  the  five  missions  under  the 
Board  of  the  Interior  Synod  were  trans- 
ferred at  the  same  time.  Thus  the  entire 
work*  of  Home  Missions  in  the  English 
Synods  was  once  more  unified  under  the  con- 
trol of  the  General  Synod's  Board,  f 

IV.  Summary  of  our  History 

1720-1747  congregational  period,  to  the 
organization  of  the  Coetus. 

1747-1793  coetal  period,  to  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  Synod. 


*"The  Ursinus  Union,"  organized  1873  in  the  interests 
of  Ursinus  College,  conducted  Home  Mission  work  for  a 
number  of  years.  From  1883  to  1888  it  raised  over 
$10,000  for  Home  Missions.  It  discontinued  its  mission- 
ary operations  in  1889. 

t  The  German  missions  continue  under  their  Synodical 
Boards. 


Our  History  31 

1793-1826  to  the  organization  of  the 
Board  of  Domestic  Missions. 

1826-1863  to  the  organization  of  General 
Synod  and  the  election  of  its  Board  of  Home 
Missions. 

1863-1890  partly  under  District  Synod's 
Boards  and  partly  under  General  Synod's 
Board. 

1890-  under  General  Synod's  Board 

with  District  Synods  advisory. 

V.  Missionary  Superintendents 

The  first  mention  of  a  Superintendent  of 
Missions  was  made  in  1847.  Originally 
there  were  travehng  missionaries,  exploring 
missionaries,  who  visited  frontier  sections  for 
several  weeks  or  months,  and  then  returned 
to  tell  of  their  experiences  and  of  the  needs 
of  the  field.  Among  them  were  such  men 
as  Rev.  George  Leidy,  Rev.  James  R.  Reily, 
Rev.  John  Rudy,  Rev.  John  Pence,  Rev. 
Henry  Hiestand,  Rev.  Joel  L.  Reber,  Rev. 
Reuben  Good  and  others.  The  first  Gen- 
eral Exploring  Agent  sent  forth  by  the 
Eastern  and  Western  Boards  was  Rev.  Sam- 
uel Miller.  Afterwards,  in  1850,  Rev. 
Maximilian  Stern  explored  the  western  part 
of  New  York  and  located  four  ministers  in 


32  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

and  near  Buffalo  and  laid  the  foundation 
for  a  new  Classis. 

Rev.  Emanuel  V.  Gerhart  for  several 
years  labored  in  the  West  as  General  Agent 
of  the  Board.  In  1857  Rev.  W.  K.  Zieber* 
of  Tiffin,  Ohio,  was  appointed  by  the  Eastern 
Board  as  Superintendent  of  Missions  in  the 
West.  He  was  in  office  only  two  years 
when  he  accepted  a  call  to  Hanover,  Pa. 

Rev.  L.  D.  Leberman  was  made  Corre- 
sponding Secretary  of  General  Synod's  Board 
in  1865,  but  resigned  in  1868. 

Dr.  Max  Stern  was  Superintendent  1870- 
1871;  the  Ohio  and  Northwest  Synods  paid 
one-half  his  salary  and  the  General  Board 
the  other  half. 

For  years  the  General  Board  had  no 
Superintendent,  until  October  1,  1889,  when 
Rev.  Dewalt  S.  Fouse,  D.  D.,  entered  upon 
office  and  remained  as  its  head  until  1905, 
when  he  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Thomas  M. 
Yundt.  Mr.  Yundt  died  in  1907,  after  a 
year  and  a  half  of  service.  He  was  succeeded 
by  Rev.  Charles  E.  Schaeffer,  D.  D.,  who 
began  his  work  June  1st,  1908. 

The   Superintendents   of   the   Tri-synodic 


*  For   an    interesting   account   of   hia  work   see     '  150 
Years  of  Home  Missionaiy  Activity,"  p.  59  et  sq. 


Our  History  33 

Board  were:  Rev.  F.  K.  Levan,  D.  D., 
1874-1877;  Rev.  Theodore  Appel,  D.  D., 
1878-1885;  Rev.  A.  C.  Whitmer,  1886- 

The  Synods  have  had  various  District 
Superintendents. 

Pittsburgh  Synod — Rev.  F.  K.  Levan,  D. 
D.,  1870-1871;  Rev.  George  H.  Johnston, 
D.  D.,  1871-1872;  Rev.  F.  K.  Levan,  D.  D., 
1872-1874. 

Ohio  Stjnod—Rev.  J.  M.  Kendig,  D.  D., 
1878-1879;  Rev.   S.   P.   Myers,    1880-1882. 

Pittsburgh  and  Ohio  Synods — Rev.  Dewalt 
S.  Fouse,  D.  D.,  1889-1905;  Rev.  David  A. 
Souders,  D.  D.,  1905- 

Interior  Synod— Rev.  D.  B.  Shuey,  1882- 
1896;  Rev.  Abner  S.  Dechant,  1898-1905; 
Rev.  Dewalt  S.  Fouse,  D.  D.,  1905-1909; 
Rev.  John  C.  Horning,  1909- 

German  Synods — Rev.  G.  D.  ElUker,  1909- 

Field  Secretaries  under  General  Board. 

Rev.  Charles  E.  Creitz,  D.  D.,  1899-1900; 
Rev.  David  N.  Dittmar,  1900-1905. 

General  Synod's  Board  is  constituted  as 
follows:  Rev.  Charles  E.  Miller,  D.  D., 
LL.  D.,  President;  Rev.  William  C.  Schaef- 
fer,  D.  D.,  Vice-president;  Rev.  Paul  S. 
Leinbach,  D.  D.*;  Rev.  J.  Harvey  Mickley, 


*  Resigned  January,  1913. 
3 


34  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

Recording  Secretary;  Elder  C.  M.  Boush, 
Attorney  for  the  Board;  Rev.  I.  C.  Fisher, 
D.  D.;  Elder  F.  C.  Brunhouse;  Rev.  Edwin 
R.  Wniiard;  Rev.  G.  D.  Elliker;  Rev.  P.  H. 
Dippell,  D.  D.;  Rev.  C.  B.  Schneder,  D.  D.; 
Elder  Phihp  H.  Bridenbaugh;  Elder  George 
W.  Stein;  Elder  Joseph  S.  Wise,  Treasurer; 
Rev.  Charles  E.  Schaeffer,  D.  D.,  General 
Secretary. 

Headquarters — Fifteenth  and  Race  Streets 
Philadelphia,  Pa. 

QUESTIONS  ON  CHAPTER  1 

These  questions  are  intended  to  evoke  discussion  in  the 
Mission  Study  Class.  They  may  enable  the  leader  to 
bring  to  the  attention  of  the  Class  certain  facts  and  state- 
ments which  might  otherwise  be  overlooked.  They  are 
not  exhaustive,  but  simply  suggestive. 

Aim:    To   familiakize   oitrselves  with  the   early 

HISTORY    OP    THE    REFORMED     ChURCH    IN    THE     UNITED 

States,  and  to  realize  the  struggles  of  our  fathers 
IN  this  country  in  behalf  of  their  faith. 

1.  Early  History 

1  What  are  the  two  main  branches  of  Protestantism? 

2  What    Protestant    denominations    belong    to    the 

Reformed  type? 

3  Which   is   the   oldest   Protestant   Church   in  the 

country?" 

4  Which   are  the   earliest    German   Reformed   con- 

gregations in  America? 

5  From  what  foreign  som'ce  did  our  early  churches 

receive  help? 


Our  History  35 

6  What  was  the  mission  of  Rev.  Michael  Schlatter? 

7  Why  was  the  "Synod"  organized  and  what  was 

its  significance? 

8  Who  was  the  first  Reformed  minister  west  of  the 

Alleghanies? 

9  When  was  Synod  divided  into  Classes?     Why? 

10  When  and  how  was  the  first  Board  of  Missions 

constituted  and  what  was  its  official  name? 

//.  Early  History  in  Ohio 

11  Who  was  the  first  Reformed  minister  to  visit 

Ohio? 

12  How  do  you  account  for  the  rapid  growi;h  of  the 

Church  in  Ohio? 

13  What  led  to  the  organization  of  Ohio  SjTiod's 

Board  of  Missions? 

III.  History    of  the   General    Synod's    Board   of  Home 
Missio7is 

14  What    was    the    Tercentenary    Celebration    and 

what  effect  had  it  upon  the  Church? 

15  When    was    General    Synod's    Board    of    Home 

Missions  organized  and  what  did  it  represent? 

16  With  what  prospects  did  General  Synod's  Board 

enter  upon  its  work? 

17  What  hindered  the  weKare  of  the  Board's  work? 

18  What   do   you   understand   by   the    Tri-synodic 

Compact? 

19  Why   and   under   what    circumstances    was   the 

Missionary  work  again  imified  imder  the  Gen- 
eral Board? 

20  Summarize  the  history  of  our  Home  Mission  work. 

21  Mention  some  of  the  Missionary  Superintendents. 


36  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

REFERENCES   FOR   ADVANCED   STUDY 

Historic  Manual — Dubbs. 

History  of  the  Reformed  Church  in  Pennsylvania — 
Dubbs. 

History  of  the  Reformed  Church  in  the  United  States 
— Good. 

150  Years  of  Home  Missionary  Activity — Whitmer. 

Minutes  of  the  Coetus. 

Minutes  of  the  District  Synods. 

Minutes  of  the  General  Sjiiod. 

Minutes  of  the  Board  of  Home  Missions. 


OUR  TERRITORY 


O  America,  America,  stretching  be- 
tween the  two  great  seas,  in  whose  heart 
flows  the  rich  blood  of  many  nations, 
into  whose  mountain  safes  God  has  put 
riches  of  fabulous  amount,  in  whose 
plains  the  Almighty  has  planted  the 
magic  genius  that  blossoms  into  har- 
vests w^ith  which  to  feed  the  hungiy  mul- 
titudes of  earth,  nursed  by  Puritan  and 
Pilgrim,  defended  by  patriot  and  mis- 
sionary, guided  by  the  pillar  of  cloud 
by  day  and  of  fire  by  night,  sanctified 
by  a  faith  as  pure  as  looks  up  to  heaven 
from  any  land,  O  America,  let  thy 
Master  make  thee  a  savior  of  the  na- 
tions; let  thy  God  flood  thee  with  a 
resistless  passion  for  conquest;  let  thy 
Father  lead  thee  over  mountains  and 
seas,  through  fire  and  flood,  through 
sickness  and  pain,  out  to  that  great 
hour  when  all  men  shall  hear  the  call 
of  Christ,  and  the  last  lonely  soul  shall 
see  the  uplifted  cross,  and  the  whole 
round  world  be  bound  back  to  the  heart 
of  God! — Doughty. 


II 

OUR  TERRITORY 

I.  A  General  View 

When,  in  1869,  the  official  name  of  the  re^JT^ 
denomination  was  changed,  by  synodical 
authority,  from  "German  Reformed  Chm"ch" 
to  "The  Reformed  Chm"ch  in  tlie  United 
States,"  the  change  served  not  only  to  dif- 
ferentiate the  American  from  the  European 
Chm-ch,  but  also  to  define  the  territory  in 
which  its  lot  had  been  cast.  The  Church 
in  this  country  had  attained  a  new  con- 
sciousness of  its  work  and  mission.  The 
new  name,  however,  no  longer  adequately 
defines  the  field  of  our  operations.  We  have 
enlarged  the  borders  of  our  tent,  so  as  to 
include  portions  of  the  Dominion  of  Canada, 
of  China  and  of  Japan. 

1.  Territorial  Expansion.  When  the  Expansion 
framers  of  the  American  Constitution  began 
that  document  with  the  words,  "We,  the 
people  of  the  United  States,"  the  term  in- 
cluded far  less  than  it  does  today.  Then  it 
meant  a  narrow  fringe  of  colonies,  thirteen 

39 


40  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

in  number,  along  the  Atlantic  seaboard. 
The  census  of  1790  showed  that  the  newly 
constituted  republic  numbered  less  than 
four  million  inhabitants,  scattered  over  an 
area  of  900,000  square  miles.  The  acquisi- 
tion of  the  Northwest  Territory  in  1787 
added  a  tract  of  250,000  square  miles,  lying, 
wedge-shaped,  between  the  Great  Lakes  and 
the  Mississippi  and  Ohio  rivers. 

At  the  opening  of  the  nineteenth  century, 
the  western  boundary  was  the  Mississippi 
river.  Then  followed,  in  1803,  the  Louisiana 
purchase  which  increased  the  national  do- 
main by  1,000,000  square  miles.  The 
boundary  line  had  been  pushed  westward  to 
the  Rocky  Mountains.  Other  portions  were 
added  from  time  to  time,  until  at  the  middle 
of  the  past  century  the  United  States  covered 
the  continent  from  ocean  to  ocean,  from  the 
Lakes  to  the  Gulf,  and  formed  the  "natural 
base  for  the  greatest  continuous  empire 
ever  established  by  mankind."  Since  then 
it  has  reached  out  still  farther  and  includes 
within  its  boundary  lines  Alaska  to  the  north, 
Porto  Rico  to  the  south,  the  Hawaiian 
Islands  to  the  west,  and  the  Philippines  to 
the  far  east.    The  United  States  in  area  and 


Our  Territory 


41 


Advantages  of 
Position 


population  is  one  of  the  five  great  world 
powers.* 

2.  Position.  Its  geographical  position,  ex- 
cluding its  dependencies,  is  wholly  in  the 
Temperate  Zone,  in  the  middle  of  the  con- 
tinent. Its  coast  line  exceeds  the  coast 
lines  of  the  other  world  powers  put  together. 
Its  harbors  are  unsiu-passed.  Its  navigable 
rivers  are  among  the  longest  in  the  world. 

Its  railroad  mileage  is  thirty-eight  per  cent.  Railroads 
of  the  world's  total.  ''The  United  States 
could  duplicate  all  the  railroad  mileage  in 
Asia,  Africa,  South  .America  and  Australia, 
and  then  have  enough  left  to  build  a  single 
track  line  three  and  three-fourths  times 
around  the  globe!" 

3.  Material  Resources.     Its  resources   are  Resources 
immeasurable.     Its  wealth  is  well  nigh  incal- 
culable.    Its    farm    products    for    a    single 

year,   1909,  were  valued  at  $8,760,000,000. 


*The  five  great  world  powers  are: 

Area  in  sq.  miles  Population 

1  The  British  Empire 11,500,000  400,000,000 

2  Russia 8,500,000  150,000,000 

3  Greater  France 4,500,000  95,000,000 

4  The  United  States 3,700,000  93,000,000 

5  Greater  Germany 1,250,000  75,000,000 

CooUdge  "The  United  States  as  a  World  Power,"  p.  9 

et  seq. 


42 


Our  Home  Mission  Work 


Population 


Number  of 

Church 

Members 


''If  this  money  were  all  in  twenty-dollar 
gold  pieces,  it  would  make  a  pile  720  miles 
high,  and  if  the  gold  pieces  were  laid  on  the 
earth  touching  one  another,  the  value  of  the 
farm  products  of  that  one  year  would  make 
a  line  of  twenty  dollar  gold  pieces  reaching 
across  Alaska,  Canada,  the  United  States  and 
Mexico,  to  the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  and 
there  would  then  be  enough  of  these  coins 
left  to  make  a  line  of  gold  from  New  York  to 
San  Francisco,  and  some  pieces  would  fall 
off  into  the  Pacific  Ocean  before  they  were 
all  used."* 

4.  Populatiqn.  According  to  the  census 
of  1910  the  population  of  the  United  States, 
not  including  Alaska,  and  our  insular  pos- 
sessions, is  91,972,266.  This  is  a  composite 
of  many  nationalities,  although  the  United 
States  has  a  larger  white  population  than 
any  other  country. 

5.  Religious  Condition.  The  communicant 
membership  of  all  Christian  churches  in  the 
United  States,  Protestant  and  Catholic,  but 
omitting  the  Christian  Scientists  and  Mor- 
mons, is  35,207,444,  of  which  22,208,350  are 
Protestants  and  12,999,085  Roman  and 
Greek  Catholics.     There  are  thus  56,764,822 


•Doughty  "CaU  of  the  World,"  p.  80. 


REFORMED  CHURCH  IN  THE  U.S.  1913 


SYNODS 

NO.  or 
CONGREGATIONS 

NO.    OF 
COMMUNICANTS 

1  EASTERN 

564 

1 27. 633 

2     OHIO 

225 

31.098 

3   NORTHWEST 

269 

28,639 

4  PITTSBURGH 

164 

23,704 

5   POTOMAC 

327 

47,  436 

6  GERMAN  EAST 

59 

18,501 

7    CENTRAL 

107 

24,699 

8    INTERIOR 

61 

4.427 

■;•:•.  ENGLISH 

AND 

^;t  GERMAN 
SYNODS 


TOTAL     1776       306,337 


APPROXIMATE     DISTRIBUTION    OF    REFORMED 
CHURCHES   THROUGHOUT  THE  UNITED   STATES 
AND    CANADA 


MISSIONS 

1  ENGLISH 

130 

2  GERMAN 

94 

3  HUNGARIAN 

11 

4  BOHEMIAN 

3 

5    HARBOR 

1 

6  JAPANESE 

1 

I  SYNODS 

EASTERN,  POTOMAC, PITTSBURGH 

^UD    NORTHWEST 

JBERMAN  OF  THE  EAST,  CENTRAL  , 
INTERIOR    AND    SOUTHWEST. 


Our  Territory  43 

men,  women,  and  children  in  the  United 
States  who  are  not  full  members  of  any 
Christian  Church. 

II.  The  Reformed  Church  in  this  Ter- 
ritory 

As  a  Christian  denomination  we  occupy  no 
inconsiderable  part  of  this  great  country. 
''Upon  our  church  buildings  beams  the  light 
of  the  rising  sun  on  the  Atlantic  coast  and 
fall  the  rays  of  the  setting  sun  on  the  Pacific 
slope.  From  Canada  beyond,  on  the  north, 
houses,  wherein  our  people  congregate,  dot 
the  land  throughout  its  length  to  the  Gulf 
on  the  South." 

The  Reformed  Church  is  estabhshed  in  the  J^^^^^^^^ 
following  States:    Massachusetts,  Connect!-  church  is 
cut,  New  York,  New  Jersey,  Pennsylvania,  Represented 
Delaware,    Maryland,    Virginia,    West    Vir- 
ginia, North  Carolina,   Ohio,   Indiana,   Illi- 
nois,  Michigan,   Missouri,   Kentucky,   Ten- 
nessee, Iowa,  Nebraska,  Kansas,  Oklahoma, 
Colorado,     Wisconsin,     Minnesota,     North 
Dakota,   South   Dakota,   Oregon,   Washing- 
ton, California,  District  of  Columbia,  and  in 
the  Dominion  of  Canada.     The  denomina- 
tional force  that  is  at  work  for  Christ   is 
represented  in  the  following  statistics: 


Denomina- 
tional Sta- 
tistics 


44  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

Ministers    1,210 

Congregations    1,776 

Members    306,337 

Sunday-schools    1,750 

Sunday-school  Members   308,910 

The  Home  Mission  force  is  as  follows: 

Missionaries    175 

Missions 239 

Members 23,339 

Sunday-schools     220 

Sunday-school   Members    31,602 

Making  due  allowance  for  duplication,  the 
entire  force  of  the  Reformed  Church  in  the 
United  States,  church  and  Sunday-school, 
may  be  conservatively  estimated  at  500,000 
members. 

To  obtain  a  clearer  apprehension  of  how 
our  Church  has  distributed  itself  over  this 
territory,  and  to  appreciate  more  fully  some 
of  the  claims  that  are  upon  us,  we  will  divide 
the  field  into  certain  well  defined  sections. 

1.  The  East 

This  section  includes  all  the  territory  east 
of  Ohio  and  north  of  Virginia.  Naturally, 
it  divides  itself  into  two  parts,  with  the 
Alleghany  mountains  as  the  dividing  line. 


Our  Territory  45 

The  section  east  of  the  Alleghany  moun-  Eastern 

,.  ,  c  T-T   /■  1    Pennsylvania 

tarns  was  the  earliest  home  oi  our  Keiormed  and  its 
ancestors  in  this  country.  They  were  a  People 
sturdy,  pious,  thrifty  type  of  people.  The 
rich  agricultural  lands  of  eastern  Pennsyl- 
vania attracted  them  to  this  section.  Many 
of  them  were  farmers.  Their  agricultural 
ability  was  early  recognized.  Governor 
Thomas  in  1747,  wrote  of  them  to  England: 
"They  have  by  their  industry  been  the  prin- 
cipal instruments  of  raising  the  State  to  its 
present  flourishing  condition  beyond  any  of 
his  Majesty's  colonies  in  North  America." 
They  loved  education  and  founded  schools 
and  colleges.  They  were  patriotic,  law- 
abiding  citizens.  During  the  revolution  they 
were  on  the  side  of  liberty,  and  furnished 
whole  regiments  of  soldiers.  They  loved 
their  Church  and  brought  up  their  children 
in  the  faith.  They  laid  foundations,  broad 
and  deep,  in  church  and  state,  upon  which 
their  descendants  are  building  superstruc- 
tures. The  present  generation  is  the  fourth 
or  fifth  in  the  line.  Our  present  church 
buildings  are  the  third  or  fourth  that  mark 
our  history. 

The  Reformed  Church  is  a  tower  of  The  Reformed 
strength  throughout  this  whole  section.  Eastern  penn- 
Many   of  the  leading   citizens,    merchants,  syivania 


46  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

lawyers,  judges,  physicians,  farmers,  labor- 
ers and  others,  are  included  among  its 
membership.  There  is  scarcely  a  city  of 
any  size  or  a  to\vn  or  rural  community 
throughout  this  section  of  the  Keystone 
State,  where  the  Reformed  Church  is  not 
represented  by  one  or  more  congregations. 
Some  of  the  most  stately  and  costly  church 
edifices  belong  to  this  denomination.  Its 
rural  churches,  many  of  which  are  "union" 
(the  building  owned  jointly  by  Reformed 
and  Lutheran  congregations  and  the  time 
of  service  divided  between  them),  are,  ac- 
cording to  an  eminent  authority,  better 
constructed  and  more  largely  attended  than 
is  the  case  anywhere  else  in  the  whole 
country. 
Large  Con-  This  sectiou  has  some  of  our  largest  con- 

gregations. Salem,  Allentown,  Pa.,  the 
largest  in  the  denomination,  has  an  enrolled 
membership  of  over  2,000.  In  that  city  of 
over  fifty  thousand  one  out  of  every  seven 
of  its  citizens  belongs  to  the  Reformed 
Church.  In  Reading,  Pa.,  a  city  of  one 
hundred  thousand,  the  Reformed  Church 
claims  one  out  of  every  ten  persons.  In 
some  smaller  towns  the  proportion  is  still 
larger.  This  is  all  the  more  remarkable 
when  it  is  remembered  that  in  Boston  only 


gregations 


Our  Territory  47 

one  out  of  every  eleven  is  a  member  of  the 
Christian  Church,  and  in  San  Francisco 
only  one  out  of  every  thirty-eight. 

Turning  our  eyes  southward  for  a  moment  Fertile    fleWs 
and  then  westward  beyond  the  Alleghanies,  l^^   western 
we  see  the  Reformed  Church  well  established  Pennsylvania 
in  the  State  of  Maryland  and  to  a  large  ex- 
tent also  in  the  western  portion*  of  Penn- 
sylvania. 

A  vast  foreign  population,  attracted  by 
numerous  industries,  lives  in  this  part  of  the 
State.  Western  Pennsylvania  is  a  great 
manufacturing  section.  Its  oil  and  coal  and 
coke  and  steel  have  already  enriched  many 
of  its  citizens  and  have  made  it  one  of  the 
chief  industrial  centers  of  the  nation. 

Taking  now  the  section  as  a  whole,  we  ^i'^°^^ 
find  here  the  Eastern  Synod,  the  German 
Synod  of  the  East,  the  Pittsburgh  Synod, 
and  also  the  larger  part  of  the  Synod  of  the 
Potomac.  The  Eastern  Synod,  whose  western 
boundary  is  the  Susquehanna  river,  has  a 
membership  of  125,000.  The  entire  section  ^^  ^^ 
contains  1,022  Reformed  churches  with  a 
membership  of  205,341  conamunicants. 

Many  of  our  institutions  are  located  in  institutions 

*It  is  said  that  the  jBrst  sermon  ever  preached  where 
the  city  of  Pittsburgh  now  stands,  was  preached  by  a 
minister  of  the  Reformed  Church. 


48  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

this  section,  viz.:  Franklin  and  Marshall 
College,  the  Academy,  and  the  Eastern 
Theological  Seminary,  at  Lancaster,  Pa.; 
Ursinus  College,  at  Collegeville,  Pa.;  Mer- 
cersburg  Academy,  at  Mercersbm-g,  Pa. ;  The 
College  for  Women,  at  Allentown,  Pa. ;  Hood 
College,  at  Frederick,  Md.  This  section 
contains  the  following  Orphanages :  Bethany, 
Womelsdorf,  Pa.;  the  George  W.  and  Agnes 
Hoffman  Orphanage,  near  Gettysburg,  Pa.; 
St.  Paul's,  Greenville,  Pa.  At  Allentown, 
Pa.,  is  located  the  Phoebe  Deaconess  and 
Old  Folks'  Home.  In  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  are 
located  also  our  English  Publication  and 
Sunday-school  Board  and  the  headquarters 
of  the  Board  of  Home  Missions  and  the 
Board  of  Foreign  Missions. 
Missions  Eighty-five  of   the  Board's  missions  are 

found  in  this  section,  and  more  than  thirty 
other  congregations  receive  sustentation  from 
their  respective  Classes.  Many  of  our 
flourishing  and  influential  churches  at  some 
time  or  other  received  aid  through  the 
Board  of  Home  Missions  or  from  the  Church 
at  large.  One  of  the  best  arguments  for 
the  work  of  Home  Missions  is  found  in  the 
history  of  these  churches. 
The  chai-  There  is  a  challenge  of  the  East.     This  old 

East^  °    *  ^  eastern  section  has  more  population  than  the 


Churches 


Our  Territory  49 

following  eleven  States  in  the  far  west: 
Montana,  Oregon,  Idaho,  Nevada,  Utah, 
Oregon,  Wyoming,  North  Dakota,  South 
Dakota,  Colorado  and  New  Mexico.  Many 
of  these  multitudes  are  still  outside  of  the 
church.  For  years  the  larger  quota  of  men 
and  money  for  our  work  at  home  and  abroad 
must  continue  to  come  from  this  agricul- 
tural and  manufacturing  section.  Hence 
there  must  be  earnest  development  along 
two  lines,  viz.: 

(a)  Extensive.  The  number  of  our  More 
churches  ought  to  be  judiciously  multiplied. 
Our  towns  and  cities  are  growing  and  we 
need  to  conserve  oiu-  constituency  and  to 
make  our  contribution  to  the  solution  of  the 
problems  of  human  society.  There  is  phe- 
nomenal development  in  material  things, 
and  if  the  church  would  be  true  to  her  trust 
she  must  endeavor  to  keep  pace  with  this  prog- 
ress in  establishing  the  Kingdom  of  God. 

(b)  Intensive.  Many  of  our  congrega-  2lf^*^J" 
tions  are  not  developed  to  the  highest  degree 
of  efficiency.  They  need  to  be  vitalized. 
Some  of  them  are  too  large  for  effective 
personal  work.  They  need  to  swarm.  The 
east  is  sometimes  sneeringly  spoken  of  as 
"a  sleeping  giant."  The  giant  has  strength 
and  is  beginning  to  arouse  himself;  he  is 

4 


Efficiency 


50  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

shaking  his  locks,  and  when  he  has  once 
fully  girded  himself  for  service,  he  will  do 
right  mightily. 

2.  The  West 

1.  The  Near  West.  For  many  years  it 
was  supposed  that  the  Mississippi  river 
divided  the  nation,  east  and  west,  into 
almost  equal  areas.  We  now  know  that  the 
geographical  center  is  some  forty  miles  west 
of  the  city  of  Omaha,  Nebraska;  so  that  if  a 
person  has  been  as  far  west  as  Omaha  he 
has  not  been,  strictly  speaking,  west  at  all. 
He  has  still  been  east.  Yet  our  forefathers, 
when  they  trekked  out  into  the  plains  of 
Ohio,  Indiana  and  Illinois,  went  west. 
Western  Immediately  after  the  Revolutionary  war. 

Migration  ^j^^  spirit  of  freedom,  asserting  itself  vic- 
toriously in  the  hearts  of  the  colonists,  im- 
pelled many  to  cross  the  mountains  and  to 
establish  homes  in  the  frontier  section  of 
the  nation.  It  was  well  for  the  colonies 
that  they  did  not  scatter  abroad  prior  to  the 
time  of  their  independence  from  England, 
for  if  they  had  been  widely  scattered  over  a 
vast  area,  they  would  never  have  come 
forth  victorious  from  that  struggle  with 
England.     But  one  day,  after  the  war  was 


Our  Territory  51 

over,  on  top  of  the  Alleghany  mountains,  a 
traveler  on  horseback  halted,  and  putting 
his  hand  back  of  his  ear,  said  to  his  comrade, 
''Listen!  I  hear  them  coming!"  ''What  do 
you  hear?  Some  wild  beasts?"  his  com- 
panion asked.  "No,"  he  replied,  "I  hear 
the  tread  of  coming  millions."  And  they 
did  come — filling  up  the  great  middle  west 
with  homes  and  churches. 

Among    them   were    the    flower    of   New  i^^^^^^ 

°  .  Earlier 

England  and  Pennsylvama  manhood  and  settlers 
womanhood  and  youth.  They  were  aggres- 
sive, strong  of  body,  of  mind  and  of  purpose. 
They  were  reinforced  by  the  best  type  of 
immigration  from  the  Old  World.  "Cer- 
tainly it  means  very  much,  in  the  light  of 
events,  that  the  northern  section  of  the 
Northwest  Territory,  including  Southern 
Michigan  and  Wisconsin,  Northern  Indiana 
and  Illinois,  and  Northern  and  Eastern 
Ohio,  were  preempted  by  a  class  of  men  and 
women  inured  to  hardships,  enlightened  by 
the  best  traditions  of  New  England  and  New 
York,  imbued  with  patriotism,  and  believers 
in  the  future  of  the  American  nation."* 

This  territory  has  been  called  "the  Key-  J^fJ"^!""^ 
stone    of    the    American    Commonwealth."  monweaith 


*Clark's  "Leavening  the  Nation,"  p.  49. 


52  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

For  forty  years  it  has  been  the  center  of  oui' 
population,  and  contains  one-fifth  of  all  the 
people  of  the  United  States.  For  half  a 
century  it  has  been  the  center  of  our  Amer- 
ican manufactures.  Since  1860  seven  of 
our  Presidents  have  come  from  this  region. 
It  furnished  some  of  the  most  prominent 
leaders  of  the  Civil  War,  and  a  million 
soldiers.  "Take  away  from  our  national 
arch  this  Keystone  with  its  Yankees  from 
the  east,  its  Hoosiers  from  the  south,  its 
Teutons  from  middle  Europe,  its  wealth, 
manufactures  and  commerce,  and  above  all, 
its  men  and  women,  with  what  they  have 
done  and  what  they  stand  for,  and  the 
Union  would  crumble  of  its  own  weight."* 
Reformed  As  has  been  previously  stated,  the  first 

resented  '^^'  Reformed  minister  to  go  into  Ohio  was  Rev. 
Jacob  Christman.  This  was  in  1803.  Then 
we  had  almost  nothing;  now  the  Ohio  Synod, 
Central  Synod,  part  of  the  Synod  of  the 
Interior,  and  part  of  the  Synod  of  the  North- 
west cover  this  section.  That  one  little 
church  of  a  century  ago  has  multiplied  into 
four  hundred  and  ten,  with  a  membership  of 
66,591.  Many  of  our  churches  are  strong 
and  influential.     At  Canton,  Ohio,  we  have 


*'' Leavening  the  Nation,"  p.  52. 


Our  Territory  53 

the  second  largest  congregation  in  the 
denomination.  Akron,  Dayton,  Cleveland 
and  Tiffin,  Ohio;  Louisville,  Ky.;  Indian- 
apolis, Ind.  all  are  leading  centers  where  the 
Reformed  Church  is  well  represented.  Here 
was  fertile  mission  soU. 

Much  of  the  growth  and  development  of  institutions 
the  Church  in  this  section  must  be  at- 
tributed to  Heidelberg  University,  founded 
in  1850  and  located  at  Tiffin,  Ohio.  Many 
of  our  ministers  received  their  collegiate 
training  within  its  walls.  It  is  co-educa- 
tional and  has  had  a  moulding  influence 
upon  the  womanhood  of  this  part  of  the 
country.  At  Dayton,  Ohio,  is  located  our 
Central  Theological  Seminary.  The  In- 
terior Academy  is  at  Dakota,  Illinois ;  Calvin 
College  is  at  Cleveland,  Ohio;  the  Central 
Publishing  House,  where  "The  Christian 
World"  and  "Die  Kirchenzeitung "  are 
published,  is  also  at  Cleveland.  At  Ply- 
mouth, Wisconsin,  is  located  the  Mission 
House  where  most  of  our  German  ministers 
receive  their  theological  training.  At  Fort 
Wayne,  Indiana,  we  have  an  Orphanage. 

What  is  the  Home  Mission  problem  in  Home  Mis- 
this  part   of  the  country?     The  Reformed  ^^^^^  P^^iems 
Church  is   supporting  49   Missions  in  this 
section;   and   there   are  seven  other  congre- 


54  Our  Home  JMission  Work 

gations  which  receive  sustentation  from  the 
Classes  to  the  amount  of  $1,000  a  year. 
The  problem  is  two-fold. 

First,  as  it  pertains  to  the  larger  towns  and 
cities.  There  is  abundant  opportunity  for 
the  establishing  of  new  churches  in  these 
growing  centers  of  population.  Especially 
is  this  the  case  where  we  have  strong  German 
congregations,  whose  young  people  have 
already  made  or  are  making  the  transition 
to  English.  These  young  people  need  to  be 
conserved  for  the  Reformed  Church.  We 
must  therefore  establish  more  EngUsh  Mis- 
sions for  some  of  these  people.  In  other 
places  German  Missions  must  be  started  for 
our  foreign  speaking  Germans. 

Second,  as  it  pertains  to  the  country 
church.  The  survey  of  portions  of  this 
territory,  recently  made  by  the  Department 
of  Church  and  Country  Life  of  the  Board  of 
Home  Missions  of  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
discloses  some  interesting  and  instructive 
facts.  Many  of  these  rural  churches  are 
not  merely  standing  still  but  are  actually 
losing  ground.  Within  the  last  ten  years, 
in  the  State  of  Illinois,  over  1,600  rural 
churches  were  abandoned!  Three  hundred 
were  closed  in  the  State  of  Ohio.  Doubtless 
there  is  some  explanation  for  this  condition 


Our  Territory  55 

of  affairs;  but  evidently  here  is  a  mighty 
challenge  to  the  Church  to  exercise  the 
wisest  leadership  and  to  plan  for  the  best 
possible  outcome  of  a  difficult  situation. 

2.  The  Far  West.  Fully  five-sevenths  of 
the  territory  of  the  United  States  lies  west 
of  the  Mississippi  river.  What  was  once 
considered  an  arid  or  semi-arid  region  has 
within  recent  years  become  a  veritable 
garden.  By  the  process  of  irrigation  and  of 
dry  farming  the  region  has  been  made 
fertile  and  productive.  The  hardy  sons  and 
daughters  of  the  east  and  the  middle  west 
are  peopling  the  region.  ''Iowa,  Kansas 
and  the  Pacific  coast  have  received  about  a 
million  sons  of  Ohio  and  their  descendants 
who  migrated  from  the  home  missionary 
communities  of  the  Buckeye  State,  to  re- 
plant, in  the  younger  west,  the  moral  ideals 
which  had  elevated  their  own  life  and 
character. " 

The    Reformed    Church    followed    these  First  Prot- 

-P      .  •  1    J.1     J.    estant  Sermon 

migrants  at  an  early  day.  it  is  said  that 
the  first  Protestant  sermon  ever  preached 
beyond  the  Mississippi  was  by  a  Reformed 
minister.*     This  was  as  early  as  1803.     In 


*Rev.  Samuel  Weyberg.  He  came  from  North  Caro- 
lina. It  is  interesting  to  note  also  that  Rev.  Jacob 
Christman,  the  pioneer  Reformed  minister  in  Ohio,  came 
from  North  Carolina.  See — ^"The  Reformed  Church  in 
North  CaroUna,"  p.  34. 


56  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

1853  Rev.  Frederick  C.  Bauman*  was  sent 
to  Iowa  to  minister  to  a  colony  of  Reformed 
families  who  had  settled  near  Dubuque.  He 
founded  the  town  of  Zwingli,  Iowa,  built 
there  the  first  church  of  his  denomination, 
west  of  the  Mississippi,  and  was  instrumental 
in  organizing  a  number  of  other  congrega- 
tions throughout  the  State.  In  1859  Iowa 
Classis  was  organized  with  four  small  con- 
gregations. Seven  years  later  there  were  in 
all  that  region  400  members  belonging  to  the 
Reformed  Chiu"ch.  In  1887  a  Synod  was 
Synod  of  tiie  formed,  known  as  the  Synod  of  the  Interior. 

Intenor  ^  .  'L 

In  the  meantmie  many  Germans  had  pom'ed 
into  that  region  and  the  Synod  of  the  North- 
west organized  them  into  congregations  and 
Classes. 

Twenty-five  years  ago  we  had  a  nimiber 
of  outposts  along  the  Pacific  Coast,  the 
support  of  which  involved  an  outlay  of 
approximately  $30,000.  Because  of  a  lack 
of  ministers  and  proper  personal  super- 
vision they  had  to  be  abandoned.  A  few 
of  these  congregations  are  still  in  the  Port- 
land-Oregon Classis,  while  some  identified 
themselves  with  other  denominations. 


*See  an^interesting  account  of  his  life  in  the  Penn- 
Gertnania,  January,  1913. 


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Our  Territory  57 

The  Reformed  Church  west  of  the  Mis-  ^^^'^'''^^l,  , 

nnn  j_-  Church    West 

sissippi  river   has   today  232  congregations  of  the   mis- 
with  a  membership  of  20,700.     The  denom-  ^issippi 
ination  through  its  Boards  of  Home  Missions, 
Enghsh  and  German,  is  supporting  67  Mis- 
sions in  the  same  territory. 

In  the  far  west,  the  Reformed  Church  has  dearth  of 
not  developed  as  rapidly  as  it  has  in  some 
other  sections  of  the  country.  Its  name  has  not 
been  known,  its  history  and  genius  have  not 
been  understood.  Of  course  this  is  not  its 
fault,  but  its  misfortune.  Other  forces,  as 
well,  have  militated  against  our  growth. 
There  has  always  been  a  dearth  of  ministers 
for  this  field.  With  a  few  notable  excep- 
tions, these  brethren  never  stayed  long 
enough  to  impress  the  community  with 
their  mission.  The  Reformed  Church  never 
invested  sufficient  men  and  money  in  thi.s 
work  so  as  to  make  large  results  possible. 

The  restlessness  of  our  western  people 
may  also  in  part  be  accountable  for  our 
slow  growth.  Westerners  are  not  tied  down  Frequent  re- 
by  any  long-standing  family  or  traditional  °^°^^'^ 
ties.  People  move  readily  from  place  to 
place,  and  thus  large  congregations  of  men  and 
women  have,  through  a  course  of  years, 
passed  in  and  out  of  our  western  missions. 
To  be  sure,  the  Church  did  them  good  while 


58 


Our  Home  Mission  Work 


Neglected 
fields 


Influences  of 
West 


they  tarried,  but  their  brief  stay  often 
delayed  and  even  prevented  the  estabhsh- 
ment  of  strong  and  influential  congrega- 
tions. 

What  is  the  challenge  of  the  far  west? 
We  may  rest  assured  that  the  church  is  greatly 
needed  in  the  west.  "The  Neglected  Fields 
Survey,"  under  the  auspices  of  the  Home 
Missions  Council,*  in  January,  1912,  re- 
ported that  there  were  entire  counties 
without  religious  services,  and  that  children 
were  growing  up  without  a  Sunday-school 
or  a  church  home. 

Those  who  have  carefully  examined  into 
the  matter  express  the  conviction  that  the 
west  shall  yet  wield  the  scepter  of  influence 
and  power  in  this  country.  The  Pacific 
coast  is  coming  to  be  the  new  Mediterranean 
of  the  world.  Here  the  Orient  and  the 
Occident  meet.  Here  the  great  problems  of 
life  will  have  to  be  solved.  ''The  geography 
of  two  hemispheres,  and  the  history  of  four 
or  five  millenniums  are  involved  in  the  re- 
Hgious  problem  of  the  Pacific. "  This  is  the 
strongest  missionary  appeal  possible.  The 
teeming,  throbbing,  tumultuous  life  of  the 
west  must  be  permeated  and  pervaded  by 
the  life  and  spirit  of  Jesus  Christ. 


*See  printed  Minutes  of  the  Council,  1912. 


Our  Territory  59 

3.  The  South 

At  a  very  early  date  in  the  history  of  this  Reformed 
country,  German  settlers  migrated  into  the  viJ^fa^"^ 
Southland.  In  1711  a  German  settlement 
was  formed  in  Rockingham  county,  Virginia, 
and  in  1736  Samuel  Jenner,  of  Berne, 
Switzerland,  built  the  village  called  '^Eden" 
on  the  Roanoke.  Many  of  these  German 
pioneers  were  members  of  the  Reformed 
Chiu-ch,  for  in  1750  we  read  of  Reformed 
congregations  in  Virginia,  though  it  is 
doubtful  whether  they  were  served  by 
regular  pastors.  In  1791  Coetus  received  a 
request  from  Augusta  county,  Va.,  for 
several  pastors,  and  one  was  promised. 
Doubtless  many  of  these  people,  because  of 
lack  of  ministers  and  proper  oversight,  were 
lost  to  the  Reformed  Church.  The  Prot- 
estant Episcopal  Church  was  the  established 
Church  in  the  ''Old  Dominion"  and  some  of 
our  early  Reformed  congregations  went  over 
to  that  denomination.  Today,  however,  we 
have  a  Classis  covering  the  State  of  Virginia, 
composed  of  30  congregations  with  a  mem- 
bership of  2,776.  Massanutten  Academy  at 
Woodstock,  Va.,  is  a  preparatory  school 
^mder  the  care  of  this  Classis. 


60  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

Reformed  The  Reformed  Chm-ch  was  likewise  early 

Konh^caro-  established   in   North    Carolina.     The   first 
lina  Reformed   people   came   thither   from   Vir- 

ginia in  1690.  They  were  Huguenots,  mem- 
bers of  the  Reformed  Church  in  France. 
In  1710  a  colony  of  Palatines  and  Swiss, 
under  Christopher  Graffem'eid,  came  to 
North  Carolina.  After  the  Indians  had 
besieged  their  town  and  murdered  some  of 
the  people,  Graffenreid  returned  to  Switzer- 
land, and  the  rest  of  the  colony  went  into 
the  Presbyterian  Church. 

From  1745  to  1755  many  Germans  came 
and  settled  in  the  most  fertile  sections  of 
North  Carolina  and  South  Carolina.  They 
were  members  of  the  Reformed,  the  Lutheran 
and  the  Moravian  Churches.  The  Re- 
formed and  the  Lutherans  built  ''union" 
churches,  a  few  of  which  still  remain.  Rev. 
Mr.  Martin,  a  Swiss  Reformed  minister, 
preached  for  these  people  from  1759  to 
1764.  A  number  of  other  ministers  visited 
among  these  people  at  various  times.  In 
1798  a  request  came  from  six  congregations 
in  North  Carolina  asking  Synod  to  supply 
them  with  ministers  of  the  gospel.  In  1812 
Capt.  William  Albright  appeared  before  the 
Synod  and  made  such  a  strong  plea  for 
pastors   that   the   Synod   in    1813   commis- 


Our  Territory  61 

sioned  Rev.  James  R.  Riley  as  visiting  mis- 
sionary among  these  people.  In  1814  Rev. 
William  Hauck  went  South.  He  was  fol- 
lowed in  1817  by  Rev.  John  S.  Ebaugh. 
In  1819  Rev.  George  Leidy  was  appointed 
a  traveling  missionary  for  Virginia,  North 
Carolina,  South  Carolina,  Tennessee  and 
Kentucky.  After  spending  six  months  he 
visited  30  congregations  and  confirmed  84 
persons.  In  1824  Rev.  John  Rudy  visited 
among  these  people  and  encouraged  them. 

A  new  day  dawned  in  1828  when  Rev. 
John  H.  Crawford  went  to  North  Carolina 
and  labored  there  for  nearly  thirty  years. 
His  labors  were  reinforced  by  Rev.  John  G. 
Fritchey  who  spent  twelve  years  in  the  same 
State.  In  1830  Rev.  D.  B.  Lerch  went  to 
North  Carolina.  These  brethren  in  1831 
organized  North  Carolina  Classis  with  16 
congregations.  The  Classis  now  comprises 
56  congregations  with  a  membership  of 
5,514.  It  has  under  its  care  two  educa- 
tional institutions, — Catawba  College  at 
Newton,  and  Claremont  College  at  Hickory; 
Nazareth  Orphans'  Home  at  Crescent 
also  lies  within  its  territory. 

At  an  early  day  the  Reformed  Church  was  Reformed 
established  in  South  Carolina.     One  of  the  J^q^^;"^^  ^aro- 
early  ministers  to  labor  in  that  section  was  una 


62  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

Rev.  Christian  Theus.  He  was  a  true 
martyr  to  the  faith.  An  old  stone  in  a 
cotton  plantation  marks  his  resting  place. 
It  bears  this  inscription: 

"This  stone  points  out  where  the  remains  of 
Rev.  Christian  Theus  lie.  This  faithful  divine 
labored  through  a  long  life  as  a  faithful  servant 
in  his  Master's  vinej^ard  and  the  reward  he 
received  from  many  for  his  labors,  was  ingrati- 
tude." 

The   Reformed   Church   in   South   Carolina 

has  been  altogether  lost.     If  we  would  have 

had  men  and  money  at  an  early  day  for  this 

State  we  might  have  a  different  story  to  tell. 

strength  in  In  Virginia  and  North  Carolina  Classes 

the  South        ^-^^  Reformed  Church  has  86  congregations, 

with   a   membership   of   8,290.     Sixteen   of 

these   congregations  are  Missions,  receiving 

support  from  the  Board.     Most  of  them  are 

located    in    what    is    called    the    Piedmont 

section,  a  very  rich  and  fertile  part  of  the 

Southland.     They  are  principally  found  in 

rapidly  developing  towns  and  cities  along 

the  Une  of  the  Southern  Railroad. 

Land  of  Op-       I^  many  respects  the  South  is  the  most 

portunity        favorod  scctiou  of  our  country.     It  is  a  land 

of   sunshine.     ''Eternal   spring   abides   and 

never  withering  flowers."     Roses  bloom  in 

December.     The  South  is  rapidly  develop- 


Our  Territory  63 

ing.  The  Civil  war  gave  it  a  tremendous 
blow  from  which  it  is  just  now  recovering. 
It  enjoys  many  favorable  conditions.  It  is 
better  fitted  to  cultivate  the  staples  of  life 
than  any  other  section  of  the  Union.  The 
greatest  cotton  fields  of  the  world  are  found 
here.  This  one  commodity  may  bring  to 
the  South  immeasurable  wealth.  Clarence 
Hamilton  Poe,  in  ''The  World's  Work," 
says:  "The  last  fifty  years  have  seen  the 
making  of  a  dozen  new  commonwealths 
beyond  the  Mississippi;  the  next  fifty  years 
will  see  the  remaking  of  a  dozen  old  common- 
wealths below  Mason  and  Dixon's  line. 
The  energies  of  these  people,  for  a  genera- 
tion tragically  pent  up  or  misdirected,  are 
now  turned  at  last  into  their  natural  channels 
of  development.  From  1900  to  1950  the 
South  will  be  the  land  of  opportunity.  As 
our  epic  of  the  Nineteenth  Century  was  the 
'Winning  of  the  West,'  so  our  epic  of  the 
Twentieth  Century  will  be  the  'Develop- 
ment of  the  South.'" 

The  South  is  the  stronghold  of  Protes-  stronghold  of 

°  Protestantism 

tantism  m  this  country.  Only  a  small 
percentage  of  Roman  CathoUcs  live  here. 
It  has  less  foreigners  than  any  other  section. 
Its  church  membership  is  larger  in  propor- 
tion to  the  population  than  in  any  other 


64  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

section  of  the  Union.  It  is  remarkable  that 
in  every  charter  granted  to  the  southern 
colonies,  the  propagation  of  the  gospel  was 
mentioned  as  one  of  the  reasons  for  estab- 
lishing the  same.  In  the  observance  of  the 
Lord's  Day  and  in  regular  attendance  upon 
religious  services,  the  South  furnishes  an  ex- 
ample that  may  well  rebuke  the  looser  prac- 
tices of  the  North  and  West. 

Says  Dr.  S.  L.  Morris:  "The  indus- 
trial awakening  and  material  develop- 
ment of  the  South  call  for  a  corresponding 
spiritual  awakening.  How  otherwise  shall 
we  contend  with  the  spirit  of  commercialism, 
threatening  to  engulf  the  whole  country? 
Tides  of  population,  once  rolling  westward, 
will  soon  be  turned  backward  and  sweep 
like  an  avalanche  upon  the  South,  attracted 
Religious  hither  by  this  marvellous  prosperity.  It  is 
the  critical  time  with  the  South,  the  plastic 
age,  when  we  are  about  to  shape  our  destiny 
for  all  time.  The  South  has  stood  the  trial 
of  adversity.  Will  she  be  able  to  stand  the 
test  of  prosperity?  Possibly  we  may  be 
indulged  our  pardonable  boasting  of  our 
wealth,  resources,  etc.,  but  we  profoundly 
realize  our  need  of  something  far  better  than 
these  earthly  and  material  things.  The 
asset  which  we  crave  now  above  all  things 


Problem 


Our  Territory  65 

else  is  manhood — a  people  worthy  of  our 
noble  heritage  of  the  past,  and  equal  to  the 
great  responsibility  of  the  future." 

QUESTIONS  ON  CHAPTER  II 
Aim:  To  obtain  a  bird's-eye  view  op  the  territory 

OCCUPIED    BY    the    REFORMED    ChURCH    AND    TO    REALIZE 

SOME   OP  THE   Home   Mission   problems  which   each 

SECTION  OF  THE  COUNTRY  FURNISHES. 

1.  A  General  View 

1  Does  the  title  "Reformed  Church  in  the  United 

States"  adequately  define  our  field? 

2  What  was  the  significance  of  the  Louisiana  pur- 

chase? 

3  What  relation  does  the  geographical  position  of 

the  United  States  sustain  to  the  Home  Mission 
problem? 

4  How  does  the  United  States  compare  in  size,  popu- 

lation and  resources  with  other  countries? 

5  What  is  the  religious  status  of  the  United  States 

so  far  as  church  membership  is  concerned? 

2.  The  Reformed  Church  in  this  Terrifory 

6  In  what  States  is  the  Reformed  Church  established? 

7  What   is   our   denominational   force   in   terms   of 

statistics?     What  is  our  Home  Mission  force? 

8  Describe  the  type  of  Pennsylvania  German  people. 

9  Where  is  the  numeral  strength  of  the  Reformed 

Church?    Why? 

10  What  institutions  are  located  in  the  eastern  sec- 

tion of  the  Church? 

11  How  many  Missions  does  the  Board  support  in 

the  eastern  section? 

5 


66  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

12  What  is  the  Home  Mission  problem  of  the  east? 

13  What  class  of  people  were  the  early  settlers  of  the 

middle  west? 

14  Who  was  the  first  Reformed  minister  in  Ohio? 

15  What  is  the  strength  of  the  Reformed  Church  in 

the  territory  west  of  Pennsylvania  and  east  of 
the  Mississippi  River? 

16  What  Reformed  institutions  are  located  in  the 

middle  west? 

17  What  is  the  Home  Mission  problem  of  the  middle 

west? 

18  How  does  the  trans-Mississippi  section  compare  in 

size  and  population  with  the  rest  of  the  country? 

19  What  is  the  strength  of  the  Reformed  Church 

in  the  far  west? 

20  How  do  you  account  for  the  slow  growth  of  the 

Reformed  Chm-ch  in  the  far  west? 

21  What  is  the  Home  Mission  problem  of  the  far 

west? 

22  How  did  the  Reformed  Church  come  to  be  estab- 

lished in  Virginia,   North  Carolina  and  South 
Carolina? 

23  What  is  the  strength  of  the  Reformed  Church  in 

the  south? 

24  Why  is  the  south  an  inviting  and  promising  Home 

Mission  field? 

25  What  is  the  Home  Mission  problem  of  the  south? 

REFERENCES  FOR   ADVANCED   STUDY 

The  United  States  as  a  World  Power — Coohdge. 

Our  Country — Strong. 

The  Frontier— Piatt. 

The  Last  Frontier — Paxson. 

The  Reformed  Church  in  North  Carolina. 


Our  Territory  67 

PAMPHLETS 

The  Parish  of  the  Reformed  Church — Lampe. 
The  Reformed  Chm-ch  Beyond  the  Mississippi — Fouse. 
The  Program  of  Missions — Horning. 
The    Conservation     of    Our    Rehgious    Resources — 
Schaeflfer. 


CITY  AND  COUNTRY 


The  modern  city  has  the  characteristics  of  adolescence. 
It  has  grown  big  and  has  become  awkward;  it  is  self-suf- 
ficient, yet  restless;  arrogant,  yet  craves  guidance;  in- 
dividualistic, yet  profoundly  social;  anti-religious  in  ex- 
pression, but  fundamentally  reUgious  at  heart.  Its  ap- 
preciation of  social  wrongs,  its  awakening  moral  sense,  its 
passion  for  justice,  its  thirst  for  righteousness  and  its  love 
of  the  beautiful  are  all  manifestations  of  a  new  surging 
life.  Its  heart  throbs  and  its  blood  is  red.  There  is 
courage,  but  none  to  spare,  in  the  Ufe-and-death  struggle 
that  is  on.  Shall  the  brute  nature  dominate,  or  shall 
conscience  and  wiU  assent  and  maintain  their  God-given 
right  to  be  supreme?  Charles  H.  Sears. 


Any  consideration  of  the  problem  of  rural  Ufe  that 
leaves  out  of  account  the  function  and  possibilities  of  the 
Church,  and  of  related  institutions  would  be  grossly  in- 
adequate. This  is  not  because  in  the  last  analysis  the 
country-Ufe  problem  is  a  moral  problem,  or  that  in  the 
best  development  of  the  individual  the  great  motives  and 
results  are  rehgious  and  spiritual,  but  because  from  the 
pure  sociological  point  of  view  the  Church  is  fundament- 
ally a  necessary  institution  in  country  life.  In  a  pecuhar 
way  the  Church  is  intimately  related  to  the  agricultural 
industry.  The  work  and  the  life  of  the  farm  are  closely 
bovmd  together,  and  the  institutions  of  the  country  react 
on  that  life  and  on  one  another  more  intimately  than  they 
do  in  the  city.  This  gives  the  rural  Church  a  position  of 
pecuhar  difficulty  and  one  of  unequaled  opportunity. 
The  time  has  arrived  when  the  Chm-ch  must  take  a  large 
leadership,  both  as  an  institution  and  through  its  pastors, 
in  the  social  organization  of  rural  life. 

Report    of   the    Country    Life    Commission. 


Ill 

CITY  AND  COUNTRY 

I.  The  City 

There  was  a  time  when  there  were  no  The  Rise  of 
cities.  Everybody  lived  in  the  country,  in  ^*^®*^'*y 
in  God's  large  out-of-doors.  But  sooner  or 
later  certain  feelings  and  common  interests 
drew  men  together  and  the  city  took  its  rise. 
The  origin  and  growth  of  the  city  have  been 
attributed  to  the  following  four  causes:  fear 
of  enemies,  political  considerations,  the  social 
instinct  and  commerce.  The  ancient  city 
was  a  military  strong-hold.  The  mediaeval 
city  was  principally  a  seat  of  government 
and  of  a  few  household  industries.  The 
modern  city  is  a  vast,  throbbing,  congested 
center  of  trade  and  commerce. 

While  the  city  has  always  been  a  leading 
factor  in  the  social,  political,  industrial  and 
moral  life  of  the  world,  it  has  become  in- 
creasingly such  within  the  last  century. 
71 


72  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

"The  city  is  superlative.  In  it  the  new  civi- 
lization is  at  its  best,  and  at  its  worst.  There 
is  our  Christianitj'',  most  aggressively  Christian, 
and  there  is  our  paganism,  most  frankly  pagan. 
There  is  life  most  strenuous,  and  there  is  death 
busiest.  There  are  the  greatest  prizes  of  suc- 
cess, and  there  are  the  uttermost  failures. 
There  are  the  excessively  rich  and  there  are  the 
most  miserably  poor.  Dives  and  Lazarus  are 
there  separated  by  an  impassable  gulf,  but 
within  easy  seeing  distance;  and  it  seems  to  some 
careless  observers  that  Dives  is  in  heaven  and 
Lazarus  in  hell.  The  city  is  the  source  of  the 
influences,  best  and  worst,  which  permeate  the 
land.  In  its  future  are  the  greatest  possibili- 
ties of  blessing  and  of  cursing  to  mankind."* 

The  relative  growth  of  the  modern  city, 
its  problems,  its  power  and  its  perils  have 
enlisted  the  most  serious  attention  not  only 
of  the  sociologist  and  the  economist,  but  also 
of  every  thoughtful  man  and  especially  of 
every  moral  and  religious  leader. 
The  Growth  Que  hundred  years  ago  we  had  in  this 
country  only  six  cities  with  a  population  of 
8,000  and  over,  viz.:  Philadelphia,  New 
York,  Baltimore,  Boston,  Charleston  and 
Salem.  Their  combined  population  was 
200,000.  In  1910,  there  were  in  the  United 
States  2,405  places  of  2,500  inhabitants  or 


of  the  City 


'Josiah  Strong,  "Our  World"— p.  228. 


City  and  Country  73 

more  with  a  combined  population  of  42,- 
623,383.  Nearly  one-tenth  of  the  total 
population  in  1910  resided  in  three  of  our 
largest  cities,  viz.:  New  York,  Chicago  and 
Philadelphia.  The  United  States  has  fifty 
cities  of  100,000  and  over.  In  fifteen  States 
a  majority  of  the  population  live  in  the  cities. 
In  New  England,  nearly  5,500,000  people 
are  in  cities  while  only  1,000,000  live  in  rural 
regions.  In  the  Middle  Atlantic  States 
13,700,000  live  in  cities  as  over  against  5, 
600,000  in  the  country.  In  the  Pacific 
coast  States  2,400,000  are  found  in 
cities  and  1,800,000  in  the  country.  The 
combined  population  of  229  cities  constitute 
thirty-one  per  cent,  of  the  entire  population 
of  the  United  States.  One-fourth  of  the 
population  lives  on  one-four-hundredths  of 
the  total  land  area. 

While  the  total  population  of  the  United  Growing 
States  increased  20.7  per  cent,  from  1890  to  country 
1900,  the  city  population  increased  37  per 
cent.  Only  three .  cities  show  a  slight  de- 
crease in  population  during  the  last  ten 
years.  In  1829,  Chicago  had  half  a  dozen 
families.  The  first  white  child  born  in 
Chicago  died  in  1907.  He  saw  the  city  grow 
from  less  than  100  to  more  than  2,000,000. 
In  1846,  Des  Moines  had  twenty  persons. 


74 


Our  Home  Mission  Work 


A  World 
Phenomenon 


No  Stop  to 
City  Growth 


Causes 


In  1854,  Omaha  had  one  log  house.  Now 
these  are  among  om*  large  and  influential 
cities  of  the  Middle  West. 

Nor  is  this  urban  movement  confined  to 
the  United  States.  It  is  a  world-wide  move- 
ment. In  one  century  the  total  population 
of  the  five  principal  cities  in  Europe  in- 
creased over  700  per  cent.,  London  alone 
now  having  more  than  three  times  the  popu- 
lation of  all  five  one  hundred  years  ago. 

This  gravitation  of  the  people  toward  the 
cities  will  continue  with  accelerated  speed. 
The  causes  are  permanent,  and  every  effort 
to  arrest  the  same  will  prove  fruitless. 
Aristotle  limited  the  ideal  city  to  10,000; 
Plutarch  and  Cicero  sought  by  persuasion 
to  turn  back  the  current  of  emigration  from 
the  country;  Justinian  tried  to  stop  it  by 
legal  measures;  Queen  Elizabeth  issued  a 
proclamation  against  the  further  growth  of 
London;  but  despite  all  these  measures  and 
efforts  the  city  is  larger  today  than  ever  and 
will  continue  to  enlarge  during  the  years 
to  come. 

A  number  of  causes  contribute  to  this 
phenomenal  growth  of  the  modern  city.  Dr. 
Josiah  Strong  mentions  three,  viz.:  (a)  the 
application  of  machinery  to  agriculture;  (b) 
the  substitution  of  mechanical  for  muscular 


City  and  Country  75 

power;  (c)  the  railway  which  makes  trans- 
portation of  population  and  food  to  the  city 
easy.  Additional  reasons  have  been  sug- 
gested, such  as:  excess  of  births,  rural-born 
moving  to  town  and  foreign-born  flocking 
there.  While  a  vast  number  of  immigrants 
concentrate  in  our  cities,  the  unprecedented 
growth  of  our  cities  is  not  determined  by 
this  fact;  for  the  cities  in  those  countries 
from  which  emigration  has  been  the  largest 
have  increased  almost  as  rapidly  as  have 
those  in  this  country. 

It  is  manifest  that  the  principal  causes  are 
economic  and  social.  Says  Rev.  Charles 
Stelzle: 

"No  doubt  economic  causes  have  had  most  Economic  and 
to  do  with  the  growth  of  the  city.  The  develop-  social  causes 
ment  of  industrial  life  was  the  principal  factor  in 
bringing  together  large  numbers  of  laborers. 
The  invention  of  machinery  compelled  the  work- 
ing man  to  surrender  his  handicraft  and  go  to 
the  factory  which  was  controlled  by  the  men 
who  alone  could  afford  to  purchase  the  costly 
machines.  One  industry  naturally  attracted 
another,  especially  when  it  was  related  in  some 
way  in  the  production  of  a  given  article.  Thus 
there  were  grouped  a  force  of  workers  and  pro- 
prietors with  somewhat  mutual  interests.  This 
was  a  perfectly  natural  evolution  and  it  seems 
likely  that  it  will  continue  indefinitely."* 


*" American  Social  and  Religious  Conditions,"  p.  19. 


76 


Our  Home  Mission  Work 


Wealth 


Political 
Power 


The  Press 


Center  of 
Life 


Likewise  the  social  instinct  is  a  compelling 
factor.  The  educational  facilities  are  better, 
opportunities  for  social  life  are  superior  to 
those  in  the  country,  and  then  there  is 
always  a  vast  army  of  men  and  women  who 
cannot  live  elsewhere;  they  are  shiftless  and 
thriftless,  and  sooner  or  later  find  their  level 
in  the  slums. 

With  this  massing  of  population  in  the 
great  centers  of  industry,  there  follows  a 
corresponding  concentration  of  the  world's 
wealth  in  the  city.  In  1850,  half  of  our 
wealth  was  rural;  in  1910,  three-fourths  of  it 
was  urban.  In  like  manner  the  cities  are 
gradually  gaining  in  political  influence  and 
power.  In  the  nineteenth  century  the  coun- 
try controlled  the  city  politically.  In  the 
twentieth  the  city  will  control  the  country. 
The  city  sways  the  scepter  of  the  public  press, 
and  thus  occupies  the  vantage  ground  in 
moulding  the  thought-life  of  the  nation. 

A  quarter  of  a  century  ago  Austin  Phelps 
said :  ''As  go  our  cities,  so  will  go  the  nation. " 
We  are  realizing  the  truth  of  this  assertion 
with  increasing  force.  Our  cities  are  gan- 
glion centers  of  influence  and  power  that 
vitally  affect  every  phase  of  human  life. 
Here  the  extremes  of  human  society  meet. 
Here  virtue  and   vice,   knowledge   and  ig- 


City  and  Country  77 

norance,  riches  and  poverty  dwell  side  by 
side. 

Congestion  of  population  brings  wicked- 
ness and  crime.  In  Philadelphia,  there  is 
seven  and  one-half  times  as  much  crime  to 
the  given  population  as  in  the  country. 
Pittsburgh  and  Allegheny  have  nearly  nine 
times  as  much  as  the  average  rural  community 
of  Pennsylvania. 

Overcrowding  in  the  city  breeds  suffering 
and  death.  The  death  rate  there  is  con- 
siderably higher  than  in  the  country.  The 
city  has  been  called  ''the  grave  of  the  phy- 
sique of  our  race." 

How  does  the  Church  fare  in  the  modern  TiieChurcii 
city?  Strange  to  say,  ''the  Church  is  weak- 
est in  members  where  population  is  greatest, 
where  controlling  national  power  is  strongest, 
and  where  the  fortified  forces  of  vice  and 
iniquity  are  most  menacing."  In  1900, 
there  was  for  the  whole  United  States  one 
Protestant  church  for  every  441  of  the  popu-  andCathoiic 
lation.  In  the  cities  there  was  one  to  every 
4,000.  In  the  country  as  a  whole,  the  Pro- 
testant church  membership  is  growing  faster 
than  the  population,  but  in  the  city  the  re- 
verse is  true.  Only  19.8  per  cent,  of  the 
Protestant  membership  is  in  the  cities  of 
25,000  and  over,  while  52.2  per  cent,  of  the 


78  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

Roman  Catholic  membership  is  found  in 
such  cities.  This  is  very  significant  and 
must  have  a  bearing  upon  the  future  of 
Christianity  in  this  country. 

In  two  score  and  more  of  our  largest  cities 
the  Church  has  grown  less  than  two-thirds 
as  rapidly  as  the  population,  and  the  larger 
the  city  the  fewer  are  the  proportionate 
number  of  churches. 

New  York  « If  every  church  of  every  kind  in  New  York 

City  were  crowded  to  the  doors  on  Sabbath 
morning,  and  all  the  people  had  started  to 
church,  there  would  be  three  million  of  people 
on  the  street  who  could  not  secure  an  entrance 
to  a  house  of  religious  worship. 

"If  you  take  all  the  Protestant  population 
of  New  York  City  and  add  to  it  all  the  Roman 
CathoHcs,  the  Greeks  and  the  Christians  of 
every  nation  in  it,  you  have  less  than  one-third 
of  the  entire  population.  Nearly  one-third  is 
Hebrew  and  more  than  one-third  is  atheist,  in- 
fidel or  nothing  at  all.  There  are  100,000 
nominal  Protestants  in  the  city  with  no  church 
connection  whatever.  Only  about  eight  per 
cent,  of  the  population  are  members  of  Pro- 
testant churches." 

To  quote  again  from  Mr.  Stelzle: 

The  City's  "The  greatest  peril  of  the  city  is  not  the 

Greatest  tenement   dwellers.     The  greatest  peril   is  the 

Peril  smug,  sclf-satisficd  middle  class  which  is  quite 

content  with  itself  and  with  things  as  they  are. 


City  and  Country  79 

These  are  the  people  who  must  be  aroused  to  a 
sense  of  their  personal  responsibility.  The 
Church  is  in  peril  in  the  city  mostly  because  the 
great  middle  class,  of  whom  the  Church  is 
principally  composed,  has  no  hearty  interest  in 
the  conditions  which  have  developed  in  the  city 
in  recent  years.  The  Church  is  slowly,  but 
surely,  losing  ground  in  the  city.  If  the  city 
is  to  dominate  the  nation — and  it  will — and  if 
the  Church  continues  to  lose  in  the  city,  it  does 
not  require  a  prophet  to  foretell  the  inevitable 
result."* 

1.  The   Reformed   Church   in   the   City 

If  we  adopt  the  standard  of  the  late  Census 
Commission  and  count  as  rural  everything 
in  towns  and  villages  of  less  than  2,500,  and 
as  urban  everything  beyond  that  number,  the 
Reformed  Church  has  probably  one-half  of  Many 
her  congregations  and  members  in  the  city  Reformed 
and  the  other  half  in  the  country.     But  if  the  city 
we  were  thinking  only  of  large  cities  of  100,- 
000  or  more,  then  the  proportion  of  congre- 
gations and  members  of  the  Reformed  Church 
in  our  cities  would  be  comparatively  small. 
In  all  the  leading  cities  of  Pennsylvania, 
Maryland  and  Ohio  strong,  influential  Re- 
formed congregations  are  found.     In  most 
of  them  the  Reformed  Church  was  among 


'American  Social  and  Religious  Conditions,"  p.  24. 


80  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

the  earliest  to  be  established.  In  not  a  few 
of  them  the  Reformed  Church  holds  a  lead- 
ing position  and  proves  herself  a  worthy- 
factor  in  the  life  and  character  of  the  people. 
Missions  in  Most  of  our  Missions  are  located  in  large 
and  growing  cities,  in  at  least  one  hundred 
of  them.  Some  of  our  most  hopeful  and 
prosperous  Missions  are  in  these  places. 
Thus  it  will  be  observed  also  that  the  larger 
proportion  of  the  appropriations  of  the 
Board  of  Home  Missions  goes  into  our  city 
work,  and  by  far  the  greater  amount  of 
Church-building  Fund  money  is  loaned  to 
our  city  Missions. 

2.  The  Nature  of  the  Work 


"Rescue" 

Work 


Not  This,   strictly  speaking,   is  not  '' rescue" 

work.  In  the  mind  of  many  people  city 
mission  work  connotes  work  in  the  slums,  in 
the  tenement  districts,  among  the  lower 
stratum  of  society.  This  is  exceedingly 
important  work.  It  is  a  phase  of  Home 
Mission  work  which  some  denominations 
conduct  through  special  departments.  But 
most  of  it  is  done  today  by  organizations 
that  are  either  extra  or  wfer-denominational. 

Not  "institu-  Nor  is  our  work  "institutional"  in  char- 
acter.    We  have  no  soup  houses,  no  lodging 


tional" 


VELARS 

MEMBtRSMIP 

I&63 

1666 

1B69 

1672 

1675 

1678 

16&1 

1664 

1887 

1690 

1693 

1896 

1699 

1902 

1905 

1908 

1911 

1914- 

1 

310,000 

30b 

lJ3  7 

300,000 

,'  297, 

629 

290,000 

/^B9, 

326 

260,000 

270,000 

I 

264.9 

J, 

260,000 

, ,' 

250,000 

,' 

406 

240,000 

'i42,2 

99 

2  30,000 

rm!'. 

72 

220,000 

,' 

210,000 

, 

'^1^,6 

30 

200,000 

/ioo,4 

9« 

1  90,000 

, ,' 

160.000 

■163.96 

0 

I  70,000 

, 

'169,53 

3 

160,000 

^161,00 

Z 

150,000 

T^fTi 

8 

140,000 

, 

•t*Z^T 

z 

1  30,000 

'130,29 

9 

120,000 

•  nr.9i 

0 

1  10,000 

r' 10832 

5 

100,000 

»6.7' 

5 

90,000 

TWELVE  LARGEST  REFORMED  CITIES  IN   THE   UNITED  STATES. 


NAME    OF     CITY. 

Reading,  Pa. 
Philadelphia,  Pa. 
Allentown,  Pa. 
Baltimore,  Md. 
Buffalo   N.  Y. 
Cleveland,  O 
York,  Pa 
Lancaster   Pa. 
Canton   O. 
Easton.  Pa 
Dayton,  O. 
Lebanon.  Pa. 


~     MEMBERS. 

PROPORTION 

OF     POPULATION 

12,217 

I  out  of 

8  persons 

10.21  I 

I     "       ' 

152       " 

6'53« 

I     " 

' 

8      " 

4969 

I     *' 

' 

112      " 

3«53 

I     *' 

no     " 

3-570 

I     " 

^ 

157     " 

3.342 

I     " 

13      " 

2993 

I     ^* 

16     " 

2625 

I     ■' 

' 

19     " 

2  214 

I     '* 

13      " 

2,156 

I     " 

.54      " 

2  142 

'* 

9      " 

City  and  Country  81 

stations  for  the  poor,  the  waifs  and  the  out- 
casts of  society.  The  modern  institutional 
church  in  spite  of  its  Umitations,  has  some 
excellent  and  commendable  features,  and 
has  already  done  much  for  the  social  and 
religious  welfare  of  our  cities.  But  institu- 
tional churches  to  be  successful  and  really 
helpful  must  be  adequately  financed,  which 
involves  an  expenditure  of  money  far  beyond 
the  reach  of  our  Board. 

Our  city  mission  work  consists  rather  in  organizing 

.    .  1        ,    1  T  1  .  1  Congregations 

orgamzmg  and  establishmg  regular  congrega- 
tions. Consequently  om*  primary  aim  is  to 
bring  the  people  and  the  gospel  together 
through  the  channel  of  the  Church.  The 
Board  of  Home  Missions  through  its  repre- 
sentatives goes  into  a  city,  gathers  and  or- 
ganizes a  congregation,  sometimes  through 
a  Sunday-school  or  from  a  swarm  out  of 
another  congregation,  places  a  pastor  over 
the  little  flock,  helps  in  his  support,  selects 
an  available  site,  buys  the  lot,  assists  in  the 
erection  of  a  building,  and  thus  fosters  the 
new  and  struggling  interest  until  it  reaches 
self-support.  Within  the  last  half  century 
our  Boards  (German  and  English)  have 
established  500  congregations,  almost  400 
of  which  were  brought  into  existence  during 
the  last  two  decades.     From  fouj-fifths  to 


82 


Our  Home  Mission  Work 


nine-tenths  of  all  the  Protestant  churches  in 
this  country  owe  their  origin  to  this  same 
method. 


Transient 
Population 


Apartment 
Houses 


3.  The  Difficulties  of  the  Work 

(a).  Transient  population  In  many  of 
our  larger  cities  comparatively  few  families 
own  their  homes.  They  are  renters  and 
readily  move  from  one  city  to  another,  or 
from  one  section  to  another  of  the  same 
city.  The  great  majority  of  them  are  wage- 
earners,  and  industrial  conditions  often  de- 
termine the  time  of  their  residence  in  a  given 
place.  Sometimes  business  enterprises  crowd 
out  whole  blocks  of  residences,  and  the 
little  Mission  finds  it  necessary  to  relocate. 
Foreigners  may  encroach  and  colonize  in  a 
given  section,  forcing  out  the  native  Ameri- 
cans and  the  Mission. 

(b).  Apartment  houses.  The  success  of 
city  mission  work  depends  largely  on  per- 
sonal contact  with  the  people.  The  apart- 
ment houses  offer  the  most  difficult  avenue 
of  approach  to  people  in  the  interests  of  the 
Church.  They  are  practically  ''preacher- 
proof."  It  is  almost  a  physical  impossibil- 
ity to  gain  entrance  and  get  into  personal 
touch  with  families  who  live  in  them.     Their 


ment 


City  and  Country  83 

occupants  barricade  themselves  behind 
Speaking  tubes  and  telephones  and  never 
allow  the  preacher  to  come  near  them.  No 
wonder  that  large  cities  are  sometimes  spoken 
of  as  ''the  graveyard  of  preachers." 

(c).  Lack  of  proper  equipment.  City  ^'^°^^^^"^^" 
mission  work  is  expensive  work.  It  demands 
a  large  outlay  of  money.  Suitable  building 
lots  are  costly.  The  erection  of  an  at- 
tractive and  adequate  building,  such  as  the 
environment  of  a  city  generally  requires, 
calls  for  large  money.  One  of  the  crying 
sins  of  our  Church  has  been  that  we  have 
been  sending  missionaries  into  our  large 
cities  and  have  failed  to  supply  them  with 
adequate  resources.  People  there  are  not 
readily  attracted  to  halls  and  store  rooms  for 
worship.  Many  of  them  have  come  from 
the  country  where  they  were  accustomed  to 
suitable  church  buildings.  The  very  ele- 
ment that  is  to  become  the  main  stay,  the 
moral  and  financial  strength  of  the  Mission, 
is  very  apt  to  stand  aloof.  Thus  the  Mis- 
sion is  handicapped  from  its  very  beginning. 
It  must  have  a  suitable,  comfortable,  invit- 
ing, but  not  extravagant  building.  It  is  a 
great  misfortune  if  the  Mission  finds  itself 
too  heavily  encumbered  by  debt.  This 
serves  to  keep  some  people  away  who  other- 


84 


Our  Home  Mission  Work 


wise  might  come.  It  obliges  a  Mission  to 
expend  too  much  of  its  thought  and  energy 
upon  itself  and  interferes  with  its  larger 
ministry  to  the  conmaunity  and  with  its 
development  into  the  life  and  work  of  the 
Church  in  general. 


Church  and 
other  Institu- 
tions 


Old  Methods 
Obsolete 


4.  The   Demands   of   the   Work 

The  city  must  be  saved.  The  Church  is 
the  only  organization  that  can  effectively  and 
satisfactorily  accomplish  this  task.  Other 
institutions  may  prove  themselves  helpful, 
but  without  the  Church  these  cannot  be 
ultimately  successful.  The  continuous 
growth  of  our  cities,  their  strategic  influence, 
their  manifold  and  ever  increasing  problems, 
demand  that  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  gird 
herself  for  a  far  more  aggressive  campaign 
than  she  has  ever  waged  before. 

Many  of  the  old  methods  are  obsolete. 
They  are  no  longer  adequate  for  the  modern 
conditions.  The  new  wine  has  burst  the 
old  wine-skins.  A  new  civilization  is  form- 
ing. The  old  was  predominatingly  agri- 
cultural, the  new  is  industrial;  the  old  was 
individualistic,  the  new  is  social.  The 
Church  therefore  has  a  new  mission  in  this 
age.     Its  approach  must  be  along  new  lines. 


City  and  Country  85 

Its  methods  must  be  adapted  to  the  new 
conditions.  Its  message  must  apply  to  the 
new  problems.  The  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ 
offers  the  only  solution  to  the  social  questions 
of  the  day,  and  the  Church  must  seek  to 
apply  this  gospel  to  the  social  and  economic 
needs  of  the  present  generation. 

The  city  can  be  won  only  by  earnest  and  ^  unmed 
cordial  cooperation  of  all  the  Churches  of 
Christendom.  A  unified  program  of  ad- 
vance is  imperatively  needed.  Om'  task 
then  is  not  to  seek  to  establish  one  or  more 
churches  of  our  denomination  in  each  of  the 
cities  of  our  land,  but  to  have  a  real,  vital 
part  in  the  solution  of  the  pressing  problems 
that  are  upon  us  in  our  cities.  We  should 
fail  in  our  mission  as  a  Church  if  we  could 
and  did  not  make  a  substantial  contribu- 
tion to  this  large  program  of  city  redemption. 
If  we  cannot  help  to  touch  life  where  it  beats 
the  mightiest,  where  its  problems  are  the 
fiercest,  we  have  no  right  to  exist  at  all. 

The  city  will  be  saved.  "The  crown  and  a  Holy  city 
consummation  of  our  civilization — the  full 
coming  of  the  kingdom  of  God  on  earth — is 
typified  not  by  a  garden,  but  by  a  city — a  Holy 
City — into  which  shall  enter  nothing  unclean, 
and  nothing  that  maketh  a  lie — Paradise  lost 
was  a  garden;  Paradise  regained  will  be  a  city."* 


"Strong,  "Our  World"— p.  283. 


86 


Our  Home  Mission  Work 


Country 
Problems 


Disintegra- 
tion 


II.  The  Country 

The  country,  as  well  as  the  city,  has  its 
problems.  Fundamentally  they  are  the 
same,  since  in  both  cases  they  are  the  out- 
growth mainly  of  our  modern  social  and 
industrial  conditions.  Of  late  there  has 
been  a  general  awakening  of  interest  in  the 
rural  life  of  America.  A  vast  amount  of 
literature  has  been  created,  setting  forth  the 
problem  in  its  various  relations.  The 
Country  Life  Commission  in  1908  gave  some 
illuminating  facts  and  made  the  problem  a 
national  issue.  The  religious  survey  of  a 
number  of  rural  communities  under  the 
auspices  of  the  Department  of  Church  and 
Country  Life  of  the  Presbyterian  Church 
has  revealed  many  interesting  and  startling 
discoveries.  Country  life  and  country  con- 
ditions are  made  the  subject  of  thorough 
scientific  investigation. 

There  is  manifest  in  our  Country  commun- 
ities a  gradual  disintegration,  and  modern 
sociologists  and  religious  leaders  are  making 
a  scientific  study  of  conditions  with  a  view 
of  correcting  the  same. 


1.  The  Church  in  the  Country 

By  this  process  of  disintegration  no  insti- 
tution is  more  vitally  and  more  seriously 


City  and  Country  87 

affected  than  the  Church.  Many  of  the 
rural  churches  can  scarcely  be  said  to  be 
holding  their  own.  Some  are  dying,  others 
are  dead.  In  three  counties  in  Northeastern 
Missouri  there  are  185  church  buildings,  159 
of  which  are  used  only  occasionally  and  21  Abandoned 
are  wholly  abandoned.  Only  26  per  cent. 
of  the  churches  are  growing;  8  per  cent  are 
stationary;  24  per  cent,  are  losing;  19  per 
cent,  are  dying,  and  11  per  cent,  are  already 
dead.  In  the  entire  State  of  Missouri  there 
are  1,000  country  church  buildings  which 
have  recently  been  abandoned.  Other 
States  report  similar  conditions.  These 
abandoned  buildings  are  spoken  of  as  "an 
abomination  of  desolation — windows  broken, 
organ  broken,  pulpit  broken,  seats  in  con- 
fusion, a  bird's  nest  or  two  up  near  the  ceil- 
ing, and  in  a  corner  a  tramp's  bed  made  out 
of  the  folded  carpet."  Doubtless  many  of 
them  should  never  have  been  built.  Some 
of  them  sprang  up  out  of  a  fanatical  denom- 
inational zeal.  Too  many  rival  churches 
were  reared  side  by  side.  Some  could 
hardly  be  dignified  by  the  name  of  church. 
In  other  instances  the  old  country  church 
standing  in  close  proximity  to  the  town  or 
city  was  abandoned  when  the  congregation 
erected  a  new  one  in  town. 


88 


Our  Home  Mission  Work 


Shifting 
Population 


Tenant 

Farmers 


The  country  church  has  greatly  suffered 
from  the  following  causes: 

(a).  The  Redistribution  of  our  population. 
In  1790,  97  per  cent,  of  the  people  lived  in 
the  country;  today  just  about  50  per  cent, 
live  there.  Since  1880  there  has  been  a 
gradual  decline  in  the  percentage  of  our  rural 
population.  WTiile  the  population  of  the 
United  States  as  a  whole  increased  21  per 
cent,  during  the  first  decade  of  the  present 
century,  the  riu"al  population  increased  only 
11.2  per  cent. 

(b).  Tenant  farmers.  According  to  the 
census  of  1910  there  were  6,361,502  farms  in 
the  United  States,  containing  878,798,000 
acres.  This  represents  less  than  one-half 
of  our  total  land  area.  Only  one-half  of 
this  is  what  may  be  called  ''improved" 
land.  In  1910,  37.1  per  cent,  of  our  farms 
were  tenant  farms.  One-half  of  those  who 
till  the  soil  do  not  own  it.  The  tenant 
farmer  whose  lease  runs  for  only  a  single 
year  is  not  deeply  interested  in  keeping  up 
the  standard  of  efficiency.  He  robs  the  soil 
and  does  not  keep  the  buildings  in  repair. 
The  tenant  farmer  seldom  becomes  a  strong 
and  influential  factor  in  the  community  and 
in  the  Church.  He  is  usually  under  economic 
pressure  and  has  little  or  no  use  for  the 
Church. 


City  and  Country  89 

(c).    A    low   estimate   of  religion.     Some  ^^f^^ 

^   ■'  111'      Religion 

deny  that  the  status  of  our  rural  churches  is 
due  to  social  and  economic  conditions.  They 
insist  that  spiritual  forces  likewise  are  oper- 
ative in  closing  country  churches.  Much 
might  be  said  on  this  point.  The  country 
church  suffers  tremendously  from  the  fact 
that  most  of  the  country  pastors  are  not 
living  among  their  people.  They  live  in 
neighboring  towns  and  cities,  quite  out  of 
sympathetic  touch  with  their  people,  and 
have  reduced  their  labors  among  them  to  an 
occasional  preaching  service.  No  congrega- 
tion will  develop  as  it  should  under  such 
conditions. 

From  surveys  of  rural  communities  re- 
cently made,  it  has  been  ascertained  that  the 
"average  church — rural  and  village — spends 
ninety-two  cents  out  of  every  dollar  collected 
to  keep  itself  alive,  seven  cents  for  missions 
and  Church  Boards,  and  only  one  cent  for 
local  benevolence." 

2.  The  Reformed  Church  in  the  Country 

As  before   stated,   fully   one-half   of   our  Good 
churches  are  in  the  country.     Many  of  them  ch^chL 
are  ''union"  churches.     Some  of  the  finest 
country  church  buildings  in  the  land  belong 
to  our  denomination.     Our  people  take  an 


90 


Our  Home  Mission  Work 


Backward 
Chvirches 


Few  Missions 
in  Country 


honest  pride  in  them.  They  are  kept  in  the 
best  condition.  Every  Lord's  Day  they  are 
well  filled  with  worshippers  who  come  for 
miles  around.  In  a  goodly  number  of  them 
the  German  language  is  still  used  (although 
in  many  sections  this  is  fast  dying  out)  and 
the  old  German  Chorals  give  expression  to 
the  praise  which  ascends  from  the  hearts  of 
the  people.  Hard  by  the  church  is  the 
cemetery  where  sleep  the  dead  who  once 
worshipped  there. 

A  number  of  our  country  churches,  how- 
ever, are  quite  backward,  and  are  sharing 
the  fate  of  a  gradual  disintegration.  They 
are  at  the  lowest  ebb  of  efficiency.  Domin- 
ated by  a  spu'it  of  ultra  conservatism  and 
provincialism,  they  have  not  caught  the 
larger  vision  and  are  not  rendering  the 
larger  service.  These  need  to  be  vitalized 
and  energized. 

Only  a  few  of  our  Missions  are  located  in 
the  country.  A  quarter  of  a  century  ago 
the  Board  of  Home  Missions  adopted  the 
policy  of  planting  Missions  in  large  and 
growing  centers  of  population  rather  than 
at  the  country  crossroads. 

While  we  would  scarcely  be  justified  in 
establishing  new  Missions  in  those  rural 
conmaunities  in  the  East  and  Middle  West 


City  and  Country  91 

which  are  already  well  supplied,  and  in  some 
places  overcrowded,  with  churches,  there  are 
vast  country  stretches  in  the  far  West  which 
are  destitute  of  church  privileges.  The  re-  Religious 
port  of  the  Neglected  Fields  Survey  states 
that  in  Montana  60,000  to  70,000  of  the 
population  are  residing  five  miles  or  more 
from  a  church. 

"A  section  in  the  northern  part  of  the  State 
40  by  100  miles  has  been  homsteaded  during 
the  last  two  years  and  has  but  few  religious 
opportunities.  One  rich  valley  of  the  State, 
54  miles  from  a  railroad,  with  a  population  of 
5,000,  capable  of  supporting  50,000,  has  but  one 
church.  In  North  Dakota  14  counties  have  but 
three  permanent  places  in  each  for  worship. 
One  county  in  Idaho  has  a  rural  population 
of  9,000  with  no  preaching  service.  Another 
county  of  the  same  State  has  a  purely  rural 
population  of  18,000,  yet  only  two  or  three  of 
its  sixty-five  school  districts  have  regular  preach- 
ing   services." 

There  are  1,000  places  in  Idaho,  large 
enough  for  a  post-office,  without  any  church. 
In  Colorado  there  are  500  such.  In  Wyom- 
ing persons  residing  forty-two  miles  from 
any  church  go  without  religious  privileges. 

The  country  church  is  called  upon  to  make 
a  large  contribution  to  the  cause  of  Home 
Missions. 


92 


Our  Home  Mission  Work 


(a).  Furnish  members  and  workers  for 
our  city  churches.  A  large  part  of  the 
membership  of  our  city  churches  already 
comes  from  the  country.  Many  of  our 
leaders  in  religious  activities  in  the  city  are 
country-born  and  received  their  early  re- 
woikers  from  ligious  training  in  country  homes  and  coun- 
the  Country  ^^^  churchcs.  Our  city  churches  could  not 
long  survive  if  it  were  not  for  the  rich  red 
blood  which  the  country  continually  pours 
into  them. 

"Whatever  there  is  today  of  virtue,  right- 
eousness, human  brotherhood  and  the  fear  and 
love  of  God  in  American  life  is  largely  the  fruit 
of  the  labors  of  country  preachers  and  country 
churches." 


Join  City 
Churches 


Recruits  for 
Ministry 


Young  people  and  others  who  move  from 
the  country  into  the  city  should  be  encour- 
aged to  unite  v/ith  som.e  city  church.  Many 
of  our  Missions  in  the  cities  might  thus  be 
strengthened,  new  ones  might  be  formed, 
and  the  work  of  the  denomination  and  of 
the  kingdom  be  greatly  extended. 

(b).  Recruit  the  ranks  of  the  ministry. 
By  far  the  largest  number  of  our  ministers 
come  from  the  country.  One  of  our  oldest 
congregations,  Tulpehocken,  near  Myers- 
town,  Pa.,  has  given  fifty  young  men  to  the 


City  and  Country  93 

ministry.  One  of  our  country  pastors  has 
sent  twenty-five  men  into  the  ministry. 
At  a  time  when  the  supply  of  our  ministers 
is  so  small  and  the  call  so  loud,  there  comes 
the  strongest  kind  of  a  challenge  to  the 
country  church  to  give  its  men  of  vision  and 
of  initiative,  of  strong  brawn  and  brain,  to 
the  work  of  the  Christian  ministry. 

The   problem   of   the   country   church   is  P^'o^iem 
urgent.     Too  much  of  the  future  welfare  of 
the  nation  and  of  the  kingdom  is  dependent 
upon  it  to  allow  it  to  deteriorate. 

Home  Mission  work  means  the  vitaliz'ng  vitalizing 
of  these  decaying  churches  quite  as  much  as  churcii 
it  does  the  planting  of  new  churches  on  the 
frontier.  ^'It  is  at  least  as  essential  to  save 
what  we  already  have  as  to  save  that  which 
is  lost."  This  cannot  be  done  in  a  day. 
One  denomination  cannot  do  it  single-handed 
and  alone.  All  the  forces  and  factors  of  our 
religious,  moral,  social  and  industrial  life 
must  conspire  and  cooperate  in  making  the 
country  life  and  the  country  church  what 
God  intended  they  should  be. 


94  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

In  some  great  day 
The  country  church 
Will  find  its  voice 
And  it  will  say: 

"I  stand  in  the  fields 

Where  the  wide  earth  yields 

Her  bounties  of  fruit  and  of  grain; 

Where  the  furrows  turn 

Till  the  plowshares  burn 

As  they  circle  again  and  again; 

Where  the  workers  pray 

With  their  tools  all  day 

In  sunshine  and  shadow  and  rain. 

'And  I  bid  them  tell 
Of  the  crops  they  sell 
And  speak  of  the  work  they  have  done; 
I  speed  every  man 
In  his  hope  and  plan 
And  follow  his  day  with  the  sun; 
And  grasses  and  trees 
The  birds  and  the  bees 
I  know  and  I  feel  every  one. 

"And  out  of  it  all 

As  the  seasons  fall 

I  build  my  great  temple  alway; 

I  point  to  the  skies 

But   my   footstone   hes 

In  commonplace  work  of  the  day; 

For  I  preach  the  worth 

Of   the  native  earth — 

To  love  and  to  work  is  to  pray." 

Liberty  H.  Bailet. 


City  and  Country  95 

QUESTIONS  ON  CHAPTER  III 

Aim:    To  study  the  social,  economic  and  religious 
conditions  of  the  modern  city  and  of  the  country, 

AND  TO  REALIZE  THE  POSITION  OF  THE  REFORMED  ChURCH 
AND  HER  RESPONSIBILITY  IN  WINNING  THE  CITY  AND  THE 
COUNTRY  FOR  ChRIST. 

I.  The  City 

1  What  principal  causes  led  to  the  origin  of  the  city? 

2  In  what  respect  does  the  modern  city  differ  from 

the  ancient? 

3  How  many  large  cities  were  there  in  America  a 

century   ago?     Name   them.     Give   their    com- 
bined population. 

4  How  does  the  percentage  of  increase  in  the  city 

compare  with  that  in  the  country? 

5  Is  there  any  way  by  which  city  growth  can  be 

stopped? 

6  What  are  the  leading  causes  for  the  unprecedented 

growth  of  our  cities? 

7  What  does  the  massing  of  population  in  our  cities 

produce? 

8  What  proportion  of  the  population    in  the  city 

belongs  to  the  Church? 

9  What   is   the   proportion   of   the    Protestant    and 

Roman  CathoUc  membership  in  the  city?     What 
is  its  significance? 

10  What  do  you  regard  the  city's  greatest  peril? 

1.  The  Reformed  Church  in  the  City 

11  What  percentage  of  Reformed  churches  are  in  the 

city? 

12  What    proportion    of    our    Home    Missons    are 

located  in  cities? 


96  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

2.  The  Nature  of  (he  Work 

13  What  is  the  nature  of  our  city  mission  work? 

S.  The  Difficullies  of  the  Work 

14  How  does  a  floating  population  make  mission 

work  in  the  city  difficult?    How  do  apartment 
houses? 

15  What  handicap  to  a  mission  is  an  inadequate  or  a 

heavily  encumbered  church  building? 

4-  The  Demands  of  the  Work 

16  Why  are  old  methods  of  church  work  in  the  city 

no  longer  adequate? 

17  What  is  demanded  for  the  complete  redemption 

of  the  city? 

II.   The  Country 

18  How  do  you  account  for  the  awakening  of  inter- 

est in  country  hfe? 

1.  The  Church  in  the  Country 

19  What   effect   has  rural   disintegration   upon  the 

Church? 

20  How  do  tenant  farmers  affect  the  welfare  of  the 

Church? 

21  To  what  causes  do  you  attribute  the  low  estimate 

of  rehgion  which  often  prevails  in  the  countrj^? 

2.  The  Reformed  Church  in  the  Country 

22  What  is  the  condition  of  most  of  the  Reformed 

churches  in  the   country?     To   what   do   you 
attribute  this? 


City  and  Country  97 

23  In  what  respect  can  the  country  church  do  large 

things  for  the  kingdom? 

24  Why  is  the  vitaUzing  of  the  country  church  so 

urgent?    How  can  it  be  done? 

REFERENCES   FOR   ADVANCED    STUDY 

The  Challenge  of  the  City — Strong. 

The  Redemption  of  the  City — Sears. 

Our  World— The  New  World  Life— Strong. 

America's  Social  and  Religious  Problems — Stelzle. 

The  Church  and  the  Open  Country — Wilson. 

The  Evolution  of  the  Country    Community — Wilson, 

PAMPHLETS 

The  Task  of  the  Church  in  the  City — Swartz. 
Why  the  Country  Should  Help  the  City— Whitmer. 
The  Country  Commxmity — Foght. 
Modern  Methods  in  the  Country  Church — McNutt. 


OUR  IMMIGRANT  WORK 


In  the  immigrant  problem  Protestant  America  is  to  be 
tested  as  never  before.  It  is  a  problem  which  embraces 
all  problems  that  have  ever  faced  the  Church.  Problems 
physical — for  the  immigrant  must  be  assimilated, — prob- 
lems educational,  for  the  immigrant  must  become  an 
intelligent  citizen — problems  social,  for  the  immigrant 
must  find  a  larger,  fuller  life  amongst  us — problems 
economic,  for  the  immigrant  must  be  taught  the  doc- 
trines which  are  fundamentally  in  harmony  with  our 
American  spirit  and  life — problems  patriotic,  for  the 
immigrant  must  be  led  to  see  that  upon  him  depends  the 
future  of  his  adopted  country — problems  rehgious,  for 
the  immigrant  must  learn  that  his  spiritual  interests  are 
of  the  utmost  importance.  In  the  solution  of  this  ques- 
tion the  Church  in  America  needs  all  the  wisdom  which 
is  given  to  the  Church  universal  as  the  result  of  her 
experience  in  other  generations.  The  task  that  lies 
before  us  requires  a  deeper  study  and  a  greater  devotion 
than  is  found  in  mere  sentiment,  romance  or  sociological 
interest.  The  enterprise  demands  a  statesmanship  of  the 
highest  order. — Stelzle. 


IV 

OUR  IMMIGRANT  WORK 

I.  The  Immigeant  Problem 

From  the  very  beginning  of  our  national 
life  the  problem  of  immigration  confronted 
our  statesmen.  Washington,  Jefferson  and 
Franklin  in  their  day  wrestled  with  the 
problem  and  discussed  measures  whereby  it  F""st  state 
might  be  regulated.  The  first  State  law 
restricting  immigration  was  passed  in  1824, 
although  the  total  number  of  immigrants 
for  that  year  was  only  7,912.  Since  then 
the  problem  has  become  intensely  compli- 
cated and  is  vitally  affecting  every  interest 
and  every  institution  in  this  country. 

It  is  well  nigh  impossible  to  form  an  ade- 
quate conception  of  the  number  of  foreign- 
speaking    peoples    in    America.     The    total  Number  of 
number   of   aliens   admitted   since    1820   is  immigrants 
27,894,293.     Every  year  brings  us  in  round 
figures,  1,000,000  in  addition.     During  the 

101 


102  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

fiscal  year  ending  June  30,  1912,  838,172 
aliens  were  admitted.  There  are  two  foreign- 
ers coming  for  every  minute  of  every  hour 
of  every  day  of  every  month  of  the  year. 
There  are  as  many  coming  in  a  single  year 
as  there  are  people  living  in  the  States  of 
Maryland  and  Delaware  combined;  twice  as 
many  as  there  are  in  the  State  of  Oregon. 
The  foreigners  of  a  year  would  repopulate 
with  their  present  number  the  cities  of  Los 
Angeles,  San  Francisco  and  Portland.  In 
four  years  they  would  repopulate  New  York 
City,  and  in  less  than  seven  years,  the  whole 
Dominion  of  Canada.  There  are  enough 
foreigners  in  America  to  populate  19  of  our 
States  and  to  elect  38  of  our  representatives 
to  Congress. 

"If  you   were   to   divide   these   people   into 
Groups  groups  and  put  them  into  cities  by  themselves 

you  would  have  an  Italian  city  as  large  as 
Minneapolis,  containing  220,000;  an  Austro- 
Hungarian  city  the  size  of  Detroit,  270,000;  a 
Jewish  city  as  large  as  Providence,  R.  I.,  with 
180,000;  and  you  would  have  one  hundred  cities 
from  2,000  to  22,000  people  without  an  English 
speaking  person  in  them.  If  you  should  sep- 
arate the  illiterates  and  put  them  in  a  city  by 
themselves,  you  would  have  a  city  larger  than 
Los  Angeles,  in  which  not  a  single  person  could 
read  or  write  a  word  of  any  language,  and,  there- 


Our  Immigrant  Work  103 

fore,  would  have  no  use  for  books,  newspapers 
or  magazines.  If  you  should  group  them  ac- 
cording to  occupation,  you  would  have  a  city 
of  430,000,  or  nearly  as  large  as  Cincinnati,  in 
which  not  one  person  would  have  a  trade  or 
profession.  The  immigration  of  a  single  year 
exceeds  the  combined  population  of  Alaska, 
Arizona,  Nevada,  Idaho,  Wyoming  and  Utah." 

1.  Where  they  come  from.     Fully  95  per  oidandNew 

-  T-i  1    1.1  •    •  Immigration 

cent,  come  from  Europe  and  the  remammg 
five  per  cent,  from  Asiatic  and  other  coun- 
tries. Prior  to  the  year  1883,  most  of  the 
immigrants  came  from  Northern  Europe, 
from  Germany,  Holland  and  the  British 
Isles.  They  were  readily  assimilated  into 
national  life  and  became  the  founders  of 
many  of  our  American  institutions.  But  the 
new  immigration  of  the  present  day  is  prin- 
cipally from  Southern  Europe,  from  Italy, 
Austro-Hungary,  Russia  and  the  Balkan 
States.  Fully  75  per  cent,  of  our  recent 
immigrants  come  from  Southern  and  Eastern 
Europe.  They  belong  to  a  different  class  of 
people. 

"These  people  are  ignorant  of  our  ideals  of 
government,  of  social  life,  of  commercial  life, 
of  educational  life,  and  have  no  idea  of  the  Prot- 
estant conceptions  of  religion.  These  people 
are  coming  to  us  with  all  their  Old  World  ways 


104 


Our  Home  Mission  Work 


of  thinking.  They  come  to  us  with  their  pre- 
judices, their  superstitions,  their  ignorance. 
They  are  coming  to  us  with  anarchistic  and 
socialistic  ideas  of  government  and  property, 
and  they  are  coming  with  Roman  CathoUc, 
Greek  Catholic  and  heathen  ideas  of  religion, 
or  what  is  worse,  no  religion  at  all." 

Illiteracy  The   great   majority   of   the   present-day 

immigrants  are  strong,  stm-dy  peasants,  85 
per  cent,  being  between  the  ages  of  fourteen 
and  forty-five.  While  in  a  single  year 
125,000  skilled  laborers  and  10,000  profes- 
sional men  entered  the  country  as  immi- 
grants, more  than  250,000  above  the  age  of 
fourteen  were  admitted  who  were  unable  to 
read  or  write  their  own  or  any  other  language. 
More  than  35  per  cent,  are  illiterate,  as  com- 
pared with  three  per  cent,  of  the  old  immi- 
gration. 

Oppressed  2.  Why   they   come,     (a)  Because   of   op- 

pressive conditions  at  home.  They  are 
under  economic  pressure.  Wages  are  low, 
taxes  are  heavy,  opportunities  for  relief  are 
small,  military  service  is  forced  upon  them, 
and  in  many  respects  life  is  made  burdensome. 
(6)  Because  of  attractive  conditions  in 
America.     Here    is    freedom    and    fortune. 

Attracted  "They  are  drawn  hither  by  the  free  institu- 

tions   and    the    marvelous    prosperity    of    our 


Our  Immigrant  Work 


105 


country — the  chance  here  afforded  every  honest 
toiler  to  gain  a  livehhood  by  the  sweat  of  his 
brow  or  the  exercise  of  his  intelHgence. " 

(c)  Because  of  solicitations  on  the  part  of  those  solicited 
who  seek  to  profit  by  them.  Steamship 
companies  have  their  agents  in  every  prin- 
cipal town  and  city  from  which  immigrants 
come  whose  business  it  is  to  persuade  as 
many  as  possible  to  emigrate.  Contract- 
labor  companies  likewise  have  their  repre- 
sentatives abroad  who  secure  as  many  as 
they  can  to  come  to  America  and  engage  in 
certain  kinds  of  hard  labor  at  comparatively 
low  wages,  (d)  Because  of  solicitations  on 
the  part  of  friends.  Usually  the  husband  or  retched 
big  brother  comes  first.  After  a  brief  stay 
he  returns  to  his  home  with  his  pockets  full 
of  money,  wearing  good  clothing;  but  he 
does  not  stay  at  home.  He  brings  the  rest 
of  his  family  with  him.  Letters  to  the  folks 
at  home  help  to  bring  others  here. 

3.  Where  they  go.  If  we  draw  a  line  from  The  immi- 
the  northwest  corner  of  Minnesota  to  the  grant  zone 
southwest  corner  of  Illinois  and  then  due 
eastward  to  the  Atlantic  Ocean  we  have 
what  may  be  called  the  Immigrant  Zone. 
It  covers  less  than  one-fifth  of  the  area  of 
the  United  States,  yet  80  per  cent,  of  the 


106 


Our  Home  Mission  Work 


Industrial 
Zone 


immigrants  are  found  here.  A  little  more 
than  three  per  cent,  are  found  in  the  South, 
and  a  fraction  over  13  per  cent,  in  the 
Pacific  slope  and  in  the  western  and  Rocky 
mountain  States.  Six  States,  New  York, 
Pennsylvania,  Massachusetts,  Illinois,  New 
Jersey  and  Ohio  last  year  received  571,000, 
or  two-thirds  of  the  entire  number.  New 
York  alone  received  31  per  cent,  and  Penn- 
sylvania 20  per  cent. 

It  will  be  observed  that  this  immigrant 
zone  is  also  the  industrial  zone.  About  80 
per  cent,  of  all  the  coal  in  the  United  States 
is  mined  here.  More  than  90  per  cent,  of 
all  the  iron  and  steel  products  of  the  country 
are  produced  here.  The  United  States  has 
50  cities  of  100,000  and  over,  32  of  which  are 
found  in  this  zone.*  Into  these  congested 
industrial  centers  the  immigrants  come  and 
form  little  colonies  of  their  own,  reproducing 
upon  American  soil  their  foreign  customs, 
habits  and  faiths. 


Principal 
Occupations 


4.  What  they  do.  By  far  the  larger  num- 
ber of  immigrants  before  coming  to  America 
were  tillers  of  the  soil,  but  upon  their  arrival 
they  immediately  seek  employment  in  our 


*Roberts:  The  New  Immigration,  p.  158. 


Our  Immigrant  Work  107 

industrial  plants,  where  their  labor  brings 
them  the  quickest  cash  returns,  and  where, 
if  dissatisfied,  they  can  in  a  day  pack  up  and 
go  elsewhere.  Of  the  890,000  employed  in 
our  coal  mines  630,000  are  foreigners.  Of  the 
580,000  steel  and  iron  workers  throughout 
the  United  States  69  per  cent,  are  foreign- 
ers. Of  the  many  thousands  employed  in 
the  building  and  repairing  of  our  railroads 
^0  per  cent  are  foreigners.  The  marvelous 
industrial  development  of  America,  its  trans- 
continental railroads,  its  coal  and  iron  in- 
dustries, its  furnaces  and  factories  would 
doubtless  not  exist  today  if  Europe  had  not 
furnished  the  labor  force.* 

5.  What  they  believe.  The  Rev.  William 
P.  Shriver,  Superintendent  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  Immigration  of  the  Presbyterian 
Board  of  Home  Missions,  in  discussing  the 
religion  of  the  immigrant,  says: 

"These  recent  immigrants  in  greater  part  are 
from  nominally  Catholic  countries.  Perhaps 
two  per  cent,  of  the  Bohemians  are  Protestant, 
while  from  fifteen  to  twenty  per  cent,  in  this 
country  are  reckoned  as  free-thinking;  among  the 


*For  table  of  thirty-seven  industries  see  Jenks  and 
Xauck — Immigrant  Problem,  p.  437. 


108  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

Slovaks  it  is  estimated  twenty  per  cent,   are 
Protestant   Lutherans;   of  the   Magyars   prob- 
ably forty  per  cent,  are  Protestant  coming  from 
.  affiliation  with  the  Reformed  Church  of  Hun- 

Affljfation  g^ry.  The  Russians,  Bulgarians  and  Servians 
taken  as  a  whole  are  Greek  Orthodox.  The 
Italians,  Poles  and  Croatians  are  Roman 
Catholics;  the  Ruthenians,  originally  Greek 
Orthodox,  through  the  influence  of  the  Jesuits 
accepted  allegiance  to  the  pope  and  are  known 
as  Uniates,  United  Catholics  or  Greek  Catholics, 
though  a  considerable  number  still  remain 
Orthodox.  But  to  infer  from  the  foregoing 
that  the  peasant  immigrant  from  Europe  has 
always  a  vital  religion  or  is  adequately  cared  for 
by  his  Church  in  this  country,  is  wide  of  the 
mark.  The  Southern  Italian  peasant  is  gifted 
with  a  deep  religious  consciousness;  he  has  a 
primitive  religion;  and  while  many  retain  a  pro- 
found respect  for  the  Church  and  its  ceremonies, 
a  trained  Itahan  observer  writes:  'I  do  not 
suppose  that  over  ten  per  cent,  have  a  clear 
idea  of  what  exactly  the  Christian  religion  is, 
what  it  stands  for  and  what  it  wants  to  do  in 
the  world.  Unfortunately  they  have  not 
learned  the  necessary  connection  between  re- 
ligion and  morality.'" 

Moreover,  many  of  these  people  after  they 
have  been  in  America  for  some  time,  drift 
away  from  the  faith  of  their  childhood  and 
become  unbelievers. 


Our  Immigrant  Work  109 

6.  What  the  Churches  are  doing  for  them. 
Almost  every  Christian  denomination  in 
this  country  is  interesting  itself  in  behalf  of 
the  immigrants.  Since  nearly  two-thirds  of 
the  new  immigration  is  Roman  Catholic 
there  rests  a  tremendous  responsibility  with 
this  religious  organization  in  caring  for  the 
spiritual  welfare  of  the  millions  who  adhere 
to  this  faith.  Among  Protestant  bodies  the 
following  force*  in  missionaries  and  money 
is  at  work  in  the  behalf  of  the  foreigner. 

Missionaries  Amt.  Expended 

Lutheran  bodies 1,991        $    106,570.00 

Missionary  Boards 2,620  1,137,667.00 

Kindred  bodies 514  325,314.00 

5,125        $1,700,000.00 

II.  The  Refoemed  Church  and  the  Im- 
migrant 

Being  of  European  origin,  the  Reformed 
Church  in  the  United  States  would  natur- 
ally be  expected  to  be  interested  in  behalf  of 
those  immigrants  who  come  from  the  coun-  w^yinter- 
tries  where  the  Reformed  faith  is  well  known,  ested 
Moreover,  the  immigrant  zone  in  America 
includes  precisely  the  territory  where  the 
Reformed  Church  is  strongest  and  where  her 

*Bame3'  "The  New  America,"  p.  153,  et  seq. 


110  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

mission  is  most  clearly  defined.  She  sus- 
tains a  direct  relation  to  the  Germans,  the 
Dutch,  the  Swiss,  of  the  older  immigration; 
also  to  the  Hungarians,  the  Bohemians,  the 
Poles,  the  Ruthenians  of  the  newer  immigra- 
tion; and  to  the  Japanese  and  Chinese  among 
Number  of       ^j^g  Orientals.     The  Reformed  Church  has 

Missionaries  ,     -,  r,         •      •  •         i    i        • 

at  present  16  missionaries  laboring  among 
foreigners,  not  including  the  Germans,*  and 
the  General  Synod  has  apportioned  the  sum 
of  $15,000  annually  for  this  work. 

Let  us  now  study  our  immigrant  work 
more  in  detail. 

1.  The  Harbor  Mission.  The  first  point 
of  direct  contact  with  the  immigrant  is  im- 
mediately when  he  lands  on  our  shores.  It 
may  have  been  comparatively  easy  for  him 
to  secure  passage  to  America,  but  he  finds 
it  more  difficult  to  land  than  he  had  antic- 
ipated. He  must  undergo  a  series  of  rigid 
exammations.  At  the  principal  ports  of 
entrance  the  United  States  Government  has 
stationed  officials  to  examine  into  the  condi- 
tion of  the  immigrant  and  to  determine  upon 
his  admission  into  this  country.  This  is  a 
wise  precaution,  but  the  experience  is  not 
always  agreeable  to  the  foreigner.     He  may 

*For  our  German  Work  see  Chapter  V. 


Examinations 


Our  Immigrant  Work  111 

be  detained  at  the  port  for  some  time.  He  Detained 
finds  himself  among  strangers.  He  can  not 
speak  nor  understand  their  language.  He 
needs  a  friend,  a  counsellor.  A  number  of 
Christian  denominations  have  stationed  one 
or  more  missionaries  at  these  ports  of  entry 
to  minister  to  these  newly-arrived  people. 
The  Reformed  Church  has  a  missionary  on 
Ellis  Island,  the  port  of  entry  at  New  York,  ^ms 

.  .  .  Island 

Most  of  the  immigrants  land  there.  During 
the  fiscal  year  ending  June  30,  1912,  605,151 
persons  or  72  per  cent,  of  the  total  immigra- 
tion passed  through  its  gates. 

As  early  as  1855  Dr.  Philip  Schaff  pre- 
sented a  letter  to  the  Sjniod  from  the  German 
Evangelical  Diet  directing  the  attention  of 
our  Church  to  this  work.  The  Synod  di- 
rected its  Eastern  Board  of  Missions  to 
make  provision  for  the  reception  of  immi- 
grants at  our  principal  seaports.  It  also 
established  a  Church  Directory  in  our  sea- 
port cities  for  the  benefit  of  the  immigrants. 
In  1881  the  General  Synod  again  called  the 
attention  of  its  Board  of  Home  Missions  to 
the  importance  of  the  work,  but  three  years 
later  the  Board  reported  that  it  had  failed 
to  enlist  the  interest  and  help  of  the  District 
Boards  and  that  nothing  had  been  done. 
The  General  Synod  then  directed  its  Board 


112 


Our  Home  Mission  Work 


Harbor 
Missionary 


Work  of  Mis- 
sionary 


of  Home  Missions  to  appoint  a  Harbor  Mis- 
sionary and  apportioned  $2,000  annually 
for  the  work.  Rev.  C.  H.  Ebert  was  ap- 
pointed in  1884  as  our  first  Harbor  mis- 
sionary. He  was  succeeded  by  Elder,  (now 
Rev.)  Paul  Sommerlatte,  who  in  turn  was 
followed  by  our  present  missionary.  Rev. 
Paul  H.  Land,  Ph.  D. 

The  work  which  is  supported  by  all  the 
Synods,  English  and  German,  is  a  very 
important  one.  It  consists  in  ministering 
to  the  immigrants  on  the  Island  in  every 
possible  way.  The  missionary  supplies  them 
with  clothing,  literature,  counsel;  he  pro- 
tects them  from  the  harm  that  may  befall 
them  at  the  hands  of  evil  men;  he  brings 
them  into  communication  with  friends  in 
this  country;  he  ministers  to  them  in  times 
of  illness,  and  comforts  them  in  sorrow  and 
despair.  He  proves  himself  a  very  present 
help  in  time  of  trouble.  "Der  Einwanderer 
Freund'^  is  a  little  paper  published  by  the 
missionary  in  the  interest  of  this  work.  The 
work  costs  the  Reformed  Church  less  than 
$2,000  a  year. 


Who  they 
are 


2.  Hungarian.  The  population  of  Hun- 
gary numbers  about  20,000,000,  divided  as 
follows:   Slavs  and  Slovaks,  5,000,000;  Ger. 


Our  Immigrant  Work  113 

mans,  3,000,000;  Roumanians,  Croatians, 
Serbs,  etc.,  3,000,000;  Magyars,  9,000,000. 
The  Magyars,  ordinarily  spoken  of  as  Hun- 
garians, are  the  ruling,  dominant  race. 
They  are  of  Asiatic  origin  and  speak  a  dif- 
ficult non- Aryan  language.  More  than 
3,000,000  of  them  are  Protestants,  the 
larger  number  belonging  to  the  Reformed 
Church. 

About  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago  Emigra- 
tion from  Hungary  to  the  United  States  set 
in.  Probably  40,000  Hungarians  come  an- 
nually  to    this   country,    and   the   number  dumber  in 

111  •  •         1  •  p  America 

already  here  is  variously  estimated  at  irom 
one  and  a-half  to  two  and  a-half  millions. 
They  are  scattered  through  Connecticut, 
New  York,  New  Jersey,  Pennsylvania,  Ohio, 
Indiana  and  Illinois.  More  than  100,000 
Hungarians  in  the  United  States  are  members 
of  the  Reformed  Church. 

Our  attention  was  first  called  to  them  origin  of 
when  they  came  to  our  Reformed  pastors  ^^^^^^^^ 
for  the  ministrations  of  the  Church.  The 
Rev.  Dr.  John  H.  Prugh,  of  Pittsburgh,  Pa., 
made  a  careful  study  of  the  situation  and 
his  information  aroused  the  Church  to  a 
sense  of  its  obligation.  In  1890  the  General 
Sjmod  directed  its  Board  of  Home  Missions 
to  take  up  the  work,  and  forthwith,  in  re- 

8 


114  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

sponse  to  a  request  for  missionaries  Rev. 
Gustave  Jurany  was  sent  from  Hungary  as 
our  first  missionary  among  these  people. 
He  began  his  work  in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  Jan- 
uary 1,  1891.  Erie  Classis  organized  at 
Cleveland,  the  first  Hungarian  Mission  in 
this  country.  On  July  1,  1891,  Rev.  John 
Kovacs,  our  second  missionary,  arrived  and 
started  the  Hungarian  congregation  at  Pitts- 
biu-gh.  Pa.  In  1892  a  commodious  church 
edifice   was   erected   with   a   parsonage   at- 

FirstHun-  tachcd,  "the  first  church  ever  buUt  in  the 
United  States  for  the  compatriots  of  the 
noble  Louis  Kossuth  with  whom  in  his  life- 
time America  so  deeply  sympathized  and 
whom  we  delighted  to  honor. " 

Growth  So   rapidly   did   the   work   progress    that 

within  a  few  years  we  had  18  Missions  in  the 
principal  centers  where  these  people  were 
located.  Up  to  1900  the  Reformed  Church 
was  the  only  Protestant  body  that  inter- 
ested itself  in  behalf  of  them,  but  in  that  year 
the  Presbyterians  began  to  work  among  them. 
These  two  denominations  jointly  have  been 
publishing  a  weekly  church  paper  and  a 
monthly  Sunday-school  periodical  in  the 
interests  of  this  work. 


Missions 


Our  Immigrant  Work  115 

"The  Church  of  Hungary  now  has  an  Ameri-  interference 
can  branch,  the  chief  aim  of  which  is  said  to  be 
to  inculcate  Magyar  ideas,  Magyar  customs  and 
loyalty  to  Magyar  aspirations  into  the  minds 
of  the  children  of  Magyar  families,  in  the  hope 
that  they  may  return  and  help  establish  a 
Magyar  State  in  Hungary." 

This  fact  has  somewhat  interfered  with 
the  progress  of  our  w^ork,  but  we  are  able  to 
report  nine  pastors  and  eleven  congregations 
among  them  with  a  membership  of  almost 
2,000. 

They  are  located  as  follows: 

Bridgeport,  Conn.,  Rev.  A.  Ludman;  Hungarian 
South  Norwalk,  Conn.,  Rev.  Gabriel  Dokus; 
Johnstown,  Pa.,  Rev.  Ernest  Porzsolt; 
Homestead,  Pa.,  Rev.  Alex.  Harsanyi;  Lo- 
rain, Ohio,  Rev.  Stephen  Virag;  Dillonvale, 
Ohio,  Uniontown,  Pa.,  Rev.  Alex.  Radacsi; 
Dayton,  Ohio,  Rev.  Andrew  Kovacs;  Toledo, 
Ohio,  Rev.  Eugene  Boros;  East  Chicago,  Ind., 
Rev.  L.  Gerenday. 

There  are  623  pupils  in  their  Sunday- 
schools.  It  will  be  observed  that  their 
Sunday-schools  are  very  small,  but  they 
conduct  parochial  schools  for  their  children 
during  the  week,  and  thus  do  not  emphasize 
the  Sunday-school  as  they  might.  The 
Board  of  Home  Missions  expends  about 
$8,000  a  year  on  this  work  and  the  Missions 
themselves  raise  over  $20,000. 


116 


Our  Home  Mission  Work 


Lack  of 
Ministers 


Learning 
English 


Bohemians  in 
America 


The  greatest  drawback  to  the  progress  of 
the  work  is  the  lack  of  ministers.  It  is 
expensive  and  unsatisfactory  to  import  min- 
isters from  Hungary.  The  Board  is  at 
present  supporting  three  students  in  our 
Reformed  institutions  who  will  in  due  time 
be  ready  for  effective  work  among  these 
people. 

While  practically  all  the  services  of  the 
sanctuary  are  in  the  Hungarian  language, 
the  children  are  fast  learning  English.  In 
several  congregations  the  pastors  catechize 
in  English,  and  within  a  decade  or  two  most 
of  those  who  are  now  in  this  country  will  be 
able  to  speak  and  understand  the  English 
better  than  their  native  tongue. 

3.  Bohemian.  The  Bohemians  have  been 
coming  to  this  country  since  1850.  About 
500,000  are  here,  scattered  over  Iowa,  Wis- 
consin, Minnesota,  Nebraska,  Kansas,  North 
Dakota,  South  Dakota,  Texas,  Illinois,  Ohio 
and  New  York.  More  than  115,000  are  in 
Chicago.  The  total  number  of  Protestant 
Church  members  does  not  exceed  6,000. 
There  are  about  45,000  Roman  Catholics 
and  the  rest  are  unbelievers.  Much  of  their 
literature  is  of  an  infidel  character. 


Our  Immigrant  Work  117 

The  earliest  mission  work  among  them  was 
started  in  1859  by  Rev.  Frank  Klin,  a  Re- 
formed minister,  in  Iowa  and  Wisconsin. 
This  work  however  was  done  independently 
of  the  Reformed  Church  in  the  United  States. 
The  Board  of  Home  Missions  began  its  work  First  Mission 
among  these  people  in  1896  when  it  com-  ^  cwcago 
missioned  Rev.  Charles  V.  Molnar,  a  native 
of  Bohemia,  as  our  first  missionary  in  Chi- 
cago. The  congregation  was  organized 
August  1,  1897,  with  51  members.  Rev. 
James  Dudycha  is  the  present  pastor. 

The  city  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  has  approxi-  Cleveland 
mately   50,000   Bohemians.     Here   in    1898  ^^'''°°' 
our   second   Mission   was   organized.     Rev. 
Anton  Korbel  is  the  pastor. 

Many  of  the  Bohemians  are  farmers  and 
occupy  the  fertile  plains  of  Iowa.     A  large 
number  of  them  are  found  in  Cedar  Rapids,  cedar 
Iowa,    where    our    third    congregation    was  Rapids 
organized,    with    Rev.    Joseph    Balcar    as 
pastor. 

These  three  congregations  have  a  mem-  Memberships 
bership  of  206  families,  with   148  in  their 
Sunday-schools.     The  Board  is  annually  ex- 
pending $2,600  for  this  work  and  the  con- 
gregations themselves  are  raising  $1,500. 

Our   missionary,    Rev.    James    Dudycha, 
writes : 


118 


Our  Home  Mission  Work 


Benevolent 
Orders 


Turner  Hall 


"The  great  majority  of  the  Bohemian  people 
care  nothing  for  churches,  Bibles,  ministers  or 
Christianity.  Most  of  their  papers  are  un- 
friendly to  the  Christian  religion,  and  they 
never  lose  an  opportunity  for  unfavorable 
criticism. 

Thousands  of  Bohemian  men  and  women 
belong  to  the  Bohemian  benevolent  orders,  the 
spirit  of  which,  if  not  the  constitutions,  are 
against  all  religious  teaching.  The  Turner 
Society  also  is  dominated  by  this  spirit.  Bo- 
hemian free-thinking  halls  are  to  be  found  in 
every  Bohemian  community  with  a  free-think- 
ing population.  Here  in  Chicago  there  are 
several  such  halls.  The  Turner  hall,  equipped 
with  a  fine  gymnasium  and  natatorium,  cost 
$35,000.  Here  lives  the  greatest  Boehmian 
infidel  in  this  country.  For  more  than  forty 
years  he  has  been  poisoning  the  minds  of 
Bohemians  with  infidelity.  He  is  the  editor  of 
several  papers,  also  an  infidel  monthly  maga- 
zine. As  speaker  of  the  Free-thinking  Con- 
gregation he  officiates  at  the  marriages  and 
burials  of  the  free  thinking  Bohemians  of  the 
city,  names  children  (this  takes  the  place  of 
Christian  baptism),  and  during  Lent  he  delivers 
what  he  calls  a  series  of  ''Lenten  sermons"  in 
one  of  the  halls. 

Another  free  thinker  residing  here,  in  the  past 
few  years  has  delivered  lectures  in  almost  every, 
if  not  in  every,  Bohemian  community  in  this 
country.  Of  course,  the  lectures  deal  with  free 
thought.  I  might  say  that  as  a  rule  the  free- 
thinking  societies  bury  their  own  dead  with- 
out the  help  of  any  minister. 


Our  Immigrant  Work  119 

Notwithstanding  these  unfavorable  elements  Elements  of 
among  them  it  may  be  said  that  the  Bohemians  strength 
are  a  progressive  and  industrious  people.  Of  all 
the  Slavonic  peoples  they  stand  at  the  head  in 
culture  and  progressiveness.  There  are  no 
slums  among  them.  They  come  to  this  country 
poor,  but  by  their  industry  and  intelligence  they 
soon  build  homes  for  themselves  in  cities  and 
on  farms.  They  naturally  take  to  agriculture, 
but  they  may  be  found  in  all  professions  and 
walks  of  life." 

4.  Japanese.  At  its  annual  meeting  in 
July,  1910,  the  Board  of  Home  Missions 
turned  a  favorable  ear  to  repeated  appeals 
from  different  sections  of  the  Church  for  the 
inauguration  of  missionary  work  among  the 
Japanese  along  the  Pacific  coast.  It  is 
estimated  that  there  are  100,000  Japanese  J^p^^^^ff^ 
in  this  country,  500  of  whom  it  is  stated, 
were  identified  with  our  mission  in  Japan. 
Most  of  these  ''Yankees  from  the  Orient" 
as  they  are  called  are  students  or  agricultu- 
rists, although  a  goodly  number  are  to  be 
found  in  the  various  trades  and  occupations 
of  the  average  American.  Dr.  Ward  Piatt 
says:  "The  Japanese  are  easily  the  best 
class  of  immigrants  among  recent  arrivals. 
They  represent  the  highest  intelligence,  the 
broadest  outlook,  and  the  most  successful 
initiative   of   Asiatics   coming   to   us.     The 


the  United 
states 


120 


Our  Home  Mission  Work 


Missions 
Among  Them 


Eev.  J.  Mori 


upheaval  of  Christianity  and  western  civil- 
ization divorce  the  Japanese  from  dead 
tradition  and  leave  them  hospitable  to  all 
that  humanity  has  to  offer." 

Several  Protestant  denominations  have 
been  at  work  among  these  people  during  the 
last  twenty-five  years.  The  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  has  been  doing  the  most 
extensive  work  in  this  direction.  There  are 
possibly  fifty  different  stations  supported  by 
nine  different  denominations.  The  Re- 
formed Church  in  America  has  a  missionary 
at  work  in  New  York  City,  where  it  is  said 
there  are  found  about  30,000  Japanese. 

It  was  felt  that  there  was  a  work  to  be 
done  among  these  people  by  the  Reformed 
Church  in  the  United  States,  and  so  Rev.  J. 
Mori,  a  student  in  the  Heidelberg  Univer- 
sity, Tiffin,  Ohio,  and  a  native  of  Japan  was 
commissioned  to  perform  this  work.  Rev. 
Mr.  Mori  is  a  man  full  of  zeal  and  of  the 
Holy  Ghost.  He  is  deeply  consecrated  to 
the  work  of  the  Lord.  He  has  had  excellent 
preparation  for  work  of  this  kind.  He  is 
aflame  with  a  passion  for  the  souls  of  his 
native  brethren  who  are  sojourning  in 
America. 

In  September,  1910,  he  arrived  at  San 
Francisco,  where  most  of  the  Japanese  re- 


Our  Immigrant  Work  121 

side.  The  first  Sunday  after  his  arrival 
there  he  gathered  a  number  of  Japanese 
brethren  and  held  a  prayer  service.  Thus 
the  work  was  started  in  the  spirit  of  prayer. 
In  fact  the  whole  history  of  the  work  was 
a  response  to  prayer.  Brother  Mori  soon 
gathered  a  nucleus  of  his  brethren  around 
him.  A  congregation  was  started.  A  local 
church  was  rented  for  the  purpose,  and  there 
on  October  30,  1910,  the  first  Japanese  Re-  First  japan- 
formed  congregation  in  the  United  States  ^'^^^'^"'^^^ 
was  duly  organized.  Elaborate  prepara- 
tions had  been  made  for  the  occasion.  A 
large  concourse  of  people  had  assembled  and 
in  connection  with  these  interesting  services, 
Rev.  Mr.  Mori  officiated  at  his  first  wedding. 
Thus  on  the  same  day  was  started  among 
the  Japanese  a  Christian  congregation  and 
a  Christian  family.  A  three-story  dwelling 
house  was  rented  in  the  Japanese  quarter 
of  the  city,  1619  Laguna  Street,  San  Fran- 
cisco. The  first  floor  has  been  so  arranged 
that  it  can  be  used  for  reUgious  services,  the 
second  for  educational  and  social  purposes, 
and  the  third  as  quarters  for  the  missionary 
himself. 

Recently  the  Board  purchased  the  prop- 
erty of  Plymouth  Congregational  Church 
for  the  use  of  the  Mission,     This  will  enable 


122 


Our  Home  Mission  Work 


it  to  carry  forward  its  work  more  satisfac- 
torily than  ever  before.  The  Mission  has  a 
membership  of  55,  with  42  in  the  Sunday- 
school.  The  Board  and  the  Mission  each 
put  about  $1,600  a  year  into  the  work. 

Statistics  of  Oue  Immigrant  Work 


Annual  Expense 

Nationality 

Churches 

Members 

Sunday 
School 

By  Mis- 
sions 

By 
Board 

Hungarian 

1890 

11 

1910 

623 

$20,089 

$4,775 

Bohemian 

1896 

3 

206 

Families 

148 

1,562 

2,600 

Japanese 

1911 

1 

55 

42 

1,682 

1,600 

Our  Immigrant  Work 


123 


Protestant  Bodies  Engaged  in  Work  Among  These 
Nationalities 


Jap- 

Annual 

Denomination 

Hungarian 

Bohemian 

anese 

Expenses 

Baptist 

19 

8 

2 

S25,511 

Congregation- 

alist 

28 

10 

S17,564 

Disciples 

1 

1 

Meth.  Epis. . . . 

41 

35 

M.  E.  South  . . 

7 

4 

Presbyterian . . 

34 

41 

9 

$37,000 

Presbyterians. 

5 

1 

Ref.Ch.ofAm. 

3 

Ref.Ch.inU.S. 

11 

3 

1 

8,000 

5.  Colored.  The  Negro  is  not,  strictly  The  Negro  la 
speaking,  an  immigrant.  He  did  not  come 
into  this  country  of  his  own  accord,  but  was 
brought  here  by  the  Americans  themselves. 
There  are  12,000,000  of  them  in  the  United 
States.  Most  of  them  are  south  of  Mason 
and  Dixon's  line.  They  constitute  a  real 
problem  in  our  national,  social  and  religious 
life.  Even  though  the  Negro  is  naturally 
religious,  it  is  estimated  that  only  about 
3,500,000  are  members  of  the  Christian 
Church.  This  proportion  is  about  the  same 
as  that  of  the  entire  population  in  this 
country. 


124 


Our  Home  Mission  Work 


Kentucky 
Classis 


Council  of 
Reformed 
Chiirches 


Needs 


It  is  only  within  the  last  year  that  the 
Reformed  Church  has  come  to  show  a  real 
interest  in  these  people.  From  time  to 
time  individual  members  of  the  denomina- 
tion carried  on  a  small  work  in  their  behalf, 
and  Kentucky  Classis,  in  affiliation  with 
the  Presbyterians,  has  been  co-operating  in 
an  extensive  and  encouraging  work  among 
the  colored  people  of  Louisville,  Ky.  The 
General  Synod  of  1911  authorized  the  Board 
of  Home  Missions  to  engage  actively  in  this 
work,  and  apportioned  $3,000  annually. 

The  Board  realized  that  it  could  ac- 
complish most  with  the  amount  of  money 
available  if  it  carried  forward  the  work 
through  certain  existing  agencies.  The 
Council  of  Reformed  Churches  holding  the 
Presbyterian  System  had  in  the  meanwhile 
provided  a  Permanent  Committee  on  Col- 
ored Work  with  a  view  of  properly  co-or- 
dinating the  work  among  the  constituent 
bodies.  The  Board  of  Home  Missions 
availed  itself  of  this  opportunity  and  thus 
far  has  rendered  its  service  through  this 
Permanent  Committee. 

The  greatest  need  among  the  colored 
people  is  that  of  a  trained  ministry.  Nu- 
merous colleges  and  industrial  institutes 
have  been  established  for  the  education  of  a 


Our  Immigrant  Work  125 

colored  ministry  and  the  training  of  an  in- 
dustrious and  efficient  laity.  The  Reformed 
Church  through  its  Board  of  Home  Missions 
during  the  last  year  contributed  $1000  to  the 
work  at  Louisville,  Ky.,  and  $1000  to  the 
school  at  Bowling  Green,  Ky. 

III. 
Our    Opportunity    and    our    Obligation 

''A  million  immigrants  means  a  million 
opportunities,  and  a  million  opportunities 
means  a  million  obligations."  The  Church 
of  Jesus  Christ  never  faced  such  a  wonderful 
opportunity  for  the  spread  of  the  gospel.  At  oiu-  Door 
It  seems  as  if  God  had  been  sending  these 
millions  to  our  shores  that  with  our  equip- 
ment, our  churches,  our  men,  our  money, 
with  the  impact  of  our  Christian  civiliza- 
tion, we  might  win  these  multitudes  for 
Christ,  and  thus  hasten  the  evangelization 
of  the  world.  Moreover,  a  great  many  of 
the  foreigners  after  they  have  been  in  this 
country  for  some  time,  return  to  their  native 
land  and  each  one  becomes  an  unofficial  unofficial 
missionary  for  weal  or  woe  among  his  coun-  ^^i^s^o^^"®^ 
try  men. 

We  must  evangelize  the  foreigners  or  they 
will  heathenize  us,  we  must  Americanize  them 


126 


Our  Home  ^Mission  Work 


A  Conquering 
Invasion 


Appeal 


or  they  will  foreignize  us.  There  never  was 
any  invasion  in  history,  but  it  was  a  con- 
quering invasion.  Will  history  repeat  itself 
in  our  present  foreign  invasion?  We  shall 
have  nothing  to  fear  if  this  vast  army  of 
immigrants  be  imbued  with  the  principles 
of  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ. 

"This  is  our  Lord's  latest  and  greatest  appeal 
to  His  Church.  To  all  who  believe  in  the  power 
of  the  gospel  to  save,  to  all  who  believe  in  the 
coming  of  God's  Kingdom  on  earth,  to  all  to 
whom  the  Lord's  Prayer  is  a  delight,  to  all  who 
love  to  have  a  part  in  the  carrying  out  of  the 
great  Commission,  the  coming  of  these  peoples 
spells  opportunity  and  privilege.  Their  com- 
ing is  but  another  step  in  the  fulfillment  of 
God's  plans  for  the  evangelization  of  the  whole 
world.  Let  us  thank  God  for  this  magnificent 
opportunity.  Let  us  resolve  to  have  a  personal 
part  in  this  great  work.  Let  us  make  it  pos- 
sible for  our  great  Home  Mission  Board  to  enter 
this  field  with  equipment  adequate  to  the  needs 
of  the  work." 

QUESTIONS  ON  CHAPTER  IV 

Aim:  To  understand  the  immigrant  problem  in 
THE  United  States,  and  to  realize  the  part  which 
THE  Reformed  Church  has  in  its  solution. 

I,  The  Immigrant  Problem 

1  When  was  the  first  State  law  passed  restricting 
immigration? 


Our  Immigrant  Work  127 

2  What  is  the  present  rate  of  increase  through  im- 

migration? 

3  What  do  you  understand  by  the  old  immigration? 

4  What  is  the  new  immigration?     How  does  it  differ 

from  the  old? 

5  What  proportion  of  illiteracy  exists  among  immi- 

grants? 

6  What  are  the  four  principal  motives  of  immigra- 

tion?    Which,  in  your  opinion,  is  the  strongest? 

7  Describe  the  Immigrant  Zone. 

8  What  are  the  principal  occupations  of  the  immi- 

grants?   What  effect  does  this  have  upon  their 
character,  and  what  upon  the  nation? 

9  What  proportion  of  the  immigrants  are  CathoUc? 

What,  Protestant? 

10  What    are   the    Christian    denominations    doing 

for  the  immigrant? 
II.  The  Reformed  Church  and  the  Immigrant 

11  Why  should  the  Reformed  Church  be  interested 

in  the  immigrant? 

12  How  many  missionaries  does  the  Reformed  Church. 

have  among  immigrants? 
1.  The  Harbor  Mission 

13  What  are  the  experiences  of  the  immigrant  on 

landing  on  our  shores? 

14  Where  is  EUis  Island,  and  what  is  it  noted  for? 

15  Who  is  our  Harbor  Missionary  and  what  is  his 

work? 
S.  Hungarian 

16  How  many  Hungarians  are  there  in  this  covmtry? 

17  When  and  where  was  the  first  Hungarian  Church 

in  this  country  organized? 

18  How  do  you  account  for  the  rapid  growi^h  of  our 

Hungarian   Mission  work? 


128  Our  Home  JNIission  Work 

19  What  causes  led  to  the  retarding  of  the  work 

among  the  Hungarians? 

20  What  is  the  present  number  of  our  Hungarian 

Missions  and  where  are  they  located? 

5.  Bohemian 

21  What  is  the  total  number  of  Bohemians  in  America 

and  over  what  part  of  the  country  are  they  dis- 
tributed? 

22  W'hat  is  the  rehgious  condition  of  the  Bohemians? 

23  How  many  Missions  has  the  Reformed  Church 

among  the  Bohemians  and  where  are  they? 

4.  Japanese 

24  Where  is  our  Japanese  Mission  in  this  country 

and  when  was  it  opened? 

25  Why   should   the   Reformed   Church   engage   in 

mission  work  among  the  Japanese  in  America? 

6.  Colored 

26  To  what  extent  is  the  Reformed  Church  engaged 

in  mission  work  among  the  colored  people  in 
this  country? 

III.  Our  Opportunity  and  Our  Obligation 

27  What  is  the  greatest  appeal  for  mission  work 

among  immigrants? 

REFERENCES  FOR  ADVANCED  STUDY 

Aliens  or  Americans? — Grose. 

The  Immigration  Problem — Jenlcs  and  Lauck. 

The  New  Immigration — Roberts. 

The  New  America — Barnes  and  Barnes. 

Immigrant   Forces — Shriver. 

America,  God's  Melting  Pot — Craig. 

The  Upward  Path— Helm. 


Our  Immigrant  Work  129 

PAMPHLETS 

The  American  Home  Mission  Problem  of  Today — 
Bailey. 

Modern  Migration — A  Menace — A  Mission — Hutch- 
inson. 

Our  Work  Among  the  Hungarians  and  Bohemians. 

Our  Japanese  Ward. 

Our  Colored  Brethren. 


OUR  GERMAN  WORK 


In  America,  German  immigrants  have 
been  welcome.  They  have  been  pre- 
eminently steady,  hard-working  folk, 
who  have  minded  their  owti  business,  and 
have  formed  a  valuable  part  of  the  popu- 
lation wherever  they  have  settled.  In 
the  Civil  War  they  played  a  creditable 
part,  and  they  have  shown  themselves 
ready  to  support  their  adopted  country 
on  aU  occasions,  even — if  necessary — 
against  their  native  one.  The  small 
interest  they  have  taken  in  pohtics,  as 
compared,  for  instance,  with  the  Irish, 
has  prevented  one  possible  cause  of  dis- 
like; indeed,  the  general  feeling  toward 
them  has  always  been  cordial. 

— COOLIDGE. 

The  Germans  have  always  been 
among  the  best  of  our  immigrant  popu- 
lation in  inteUigence,  thrift  and  other 
quahties  that  make  the  German 
nation  strong  and  stable.  They  have 
Germanized  us  more  than  we  have 
Americanized  them.  All  these  North- 
of-Europe  peoples  belong  to  a  common 
inheritance  of  principles  and  ideas,  and 
all  have  found  it  natural  to  assimilate 
into  American  life.  America  owes  a 
large  debt  to  them  as  they  do  to  the  land 
that  has  become  their  own  by  adoption. 
— Grose. 


OUR  GERMAN  WORK 

Professor  Julius  Goebel,  of  Leland  Stan- 
ford University,  asserts  that  one-third  of 
the  present  white  population  of  the  United 
States  has  German  blood  in  its  veins.  Fully 
25,000,000  of  our  American  citizens  are  of 
direct  German  extraction.  The  significance 
of  this  will  become  all  the  more  apparent 
when  we  bear  in  mind  that  the  English  ele- 
ment in  America  numbers  only  20,000,000, 
and  the  Scotch-Irish  but  14,000,000. 

I.  German  Immigration 

German  immigration  began  at  an  early  Reasons 
date.  Three  principal  causes  contributed  to 
this,  viz.:  religious,  economic,  political.  The 
religious  persecutions  and  the  devastating 
wars  in  the  Fatherland  formerly  induced 
many  Germans  to  seek  refuge  in  America. 
In  recent  years,  however,  the  causes  have 
been  purely  economic.  Wishing  to  escape 
the  burdens  of  a  compulsory  military  service 

133 


Settle 


134  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

and  to  improve  their  temporal  condition, 
thousands  of  Germans  come  annually  to 
this  country.  In  the  near  future  German 
immigration  will  likely  assume  larger  pro- 
portions than  ever.  In  Germany  the  popu- 
lation increases  at  the  rate  of  800,000  a  year. 
Its  present  population  is  65,000,000,  but  its 
soil,  208,000  square  miles,  is  calculated  to 
support  only  50,000,000  people. 
Where  They  ^^  i\^q  fipg^  the  German  immigrants 
settled  in  largest  numbers  in  New  York, 
Pennsylvania,  New  Jersey,  and  certain  por- 
tions of  the  South.  Many  towns  and  cities 
still  bear  the  impress  of  their  life  and  spirit. 
After  the  opening  of  the  Northwest  Territory, 
the  tide  of  German  immigration  began  to 
flow  into  it.  Wisconsin  in  its  State  Con- 
stitution made  specially  liberal  terms  for 
foreigners,  and  so  rapidly  did  the  Germans 
come  to  occupy  it  that  the  dream  of  a  ''Ger- 
man State ' '  among  our  commonwealths  was  at 
one  time  quite  popular.  From  Wisconsin 
they  have  crossed  the  border  into  Canada 
and  are  occupying  in  large  numbers  the 
provinces  of  Alberta,  Saskatchewan,  and 
Manitoba.  They  have  scattered  themselves 
over  the  entire  North  and  Middle  West, 
and  a  fringe  of  German  colonies  stretches 
along  the  entire  Pacific  Coast. 


Our  German  Work  135 

II.  Chakacteristics  of  the  Germans 

''Had  America  in  1800  been  given  the  S^''^^" 
choice  of  foreign  elements  to  settle  in  the 
Northwest,  it  could  not  have  made  a  better 
selection  than  the  Germans.  They  have 
proved  thrifty  and  conservative,  peaceful 
and  patriotic,  loyal  to  the  American  theory 
of  government,  and  responsive  to  the  calls 
of  public  duty  and  danger."*  By  tempera- 
ment and  training  the  Germans  as  a  rule  are 
industrious,  economical,  thorough,  method- 
ical, conservative,  loyal,  prosperous.  It 
has  been  said  ''the  Germans  dive  down 
deeper,  stay  under  longer,  and  come  up 
muddier  than  any  other  people."  While 
there  is  an  element  among  them  which  is 
strongly  tinged  with  unbelief,  the  great 
majority  are  possessed  of  high  moral,  re- 
ligious, and  social  ideals.  They  love  their 
homes,  their  music,  their  societies.  They 
strongly  believe  in  the  principle  of  education, 
and  in  systematic  Bible  and  catechetical  in- 
struction. "The  history  of  the  Germans  in 
America  demonstrates  the  truth  of  the  as- 
sertion that  no  other  non-English-speaking 
race  is  of  greater  importance  to  the  country 
than  the  German,  and  the  results  of  the  mis- 


*Clark's  "Leavening  the  Nation,"  p.  50. 


^ 


.^ 


136 


Our  Home  Mission  Work 


sionary  efforts  among  them  prove  that  no 
other  race  is  more  susceptible  to  the  influence 
of  personal  vital  Christianity  and  yields 
richer  fruit."* 


Three 
Leaders 


Their  FieMs 
of  Labor 


III.  The  Reformed  Church  and  the  Ger- 
mans 

It  seems  but  natural  that  a  denomination 
whose  foundations  rest  in  German  soil  should 
be  interested  in  the  German  population  of 
this  country.  To  three  men  belongs  the 
honor  of  organizing  and  developing  this  work : 
Dr.  Max  Stern,  the  pastor  and  missionary; 
Dr.  H.  A.  Muehlmeier,  the  founder  of  the 
Mission  House;  Dr.  H.  J.  Ruetenik,t  the 
originator  of  the  German  Publishing  House 
at  Cleveland,  Ohio.  In  1853  these  three 
men  met  at  a  meeting  of  Classis  in  TiflOn, 
Ohio,  and  from  there  each  one  went  forth  to 
his  distinctive  work.  Dr.  Stern  went  into 
Southwestern  New  York,  established  con- 
gregations in  and  around  Buffalo  and  founded 
Western  New  York  Classis;  Dr.  Muehl- 
meier went  to  Sheboygan,  Wisconsin,  and 
feeling  the  need  of  a  school  for  the  training 


*Nuelson'8  "The  Germans  in  America."  p.  20. 
tDr.  Ruetenik  died  February  22nd,  1914,  at  Cleveland, 
Ohio. 


DR.  MAX  STERN. 


Our  German  Work  137 

of  ministers,  founded  the  Mission  House 
near  Sheboygan,  Wisconsin,  where  the 
majority  of  our  German  pastors  have  been 
educated.  Dr.  Ruetenik  went  to  Toledo, 
Ohio,  started  the  First  Reformed  Church 
there,  filled  a  professorship  at  Tiffin,  became 
the  editor  of  the  "Evangelist,"  and  subse- 
quently founded  Calvin  College  and  the  Pub- 
lishing House  at  Cleveland,  Ohio.  The 
work  which  these  men  and  others  associated 
with  them  began,  has  developed  into  three 
Synods,  the  Synod  of  the  Northwest,  the 
Central,  and  the  German  Synod  of  the  East. 

The  Synod  of  the  Northwest,  which  cov-  If^'lt  °^  f « 

,  .  c  /-M  •  r  1   •       Northwest 

ers  the  territory  west  of  Ohio,  was  formed  m 
1867.  It  comprises  196  ministers,  269  con- 
gregations, and  28,839  communicant  mem- 
bers. For  benevolence  the  Synod  raised 
during  1912-13,  $46,538,  and  for  congrega- 
tional purposes,  $197,455. 

The  Central  Synod,  which  is  practically  g^°*^^^ 
coterminous  with  the  State  of  Ohio,  was 
constituted  in  1882  and  consists  of  101  min- 
isters, 107  congregations,  and  24,699  com- 
municant members.  For  benevolence  the 
Synod  raised  $32,538,  and  for  congregational 
purposes,  $162,547. 

The  German  Synod  of  the  East  comprises  g^!^^^oftiie 
all  the  territory  east  of  Ohio;  it  includes  four  East 
Classes,  71  ministers,  59  congregations,  and 


138 


Our  Home  Mission  Work 


Summary 


Other 
Benevolence 


18,501  communicant  members.  It  raised 
for  benevolence  $15,903,  and  for  congrega- 
tional pm-poses,  $141,126. 

German  Synods 

Congre- 
Ministers  gations   Members 

Synod  of  the  Northwest 196        269        28,839 

Central  S>Tiod 101         107         24,699 

German  Synod  of  the  East 71  59         18,501 

Totals 368        435         72,039 

Congre- 

Benevo-  gational 

lence  Purposes 

Synod  of  the  Northwest $46,538  197,455 

Central  Synod 32,538  162,547 

German  Synod  of  the  East 15,903  141,126 

Totals $94,979        $501,128 

These  three  Synods  are  supporting  the 
Mission  House  near  Sheboygan,  Wisconsin, 
and  the  Orphanage  at  Fort  Wayne,  Indiana. 
The  Synod  of  the  Northwest  has  for  many 
years  been  carrying  forward  a  very  success- 
ful Ministerial  Relief  work. 

The  work  among  the  Winnebago  Indians 
at  Black  River  Falls,  Wisconsin,  has  been 
in  charge  of  the  Sheboygan  Classis  of  the 
Synod  of  the  Northwest. 


Our  German  Work  139 

IV.  German  Mission  Boards 

Our  Home  Mission  work  among  the  Ger-  Two  German 
mans  is  carried  forward  by  two  distinct 
Boards  known  as  the  Eastern  and  the 
Western.  The  former  is  under  the  care  of 
the  German  Synod  of  the  East,  the  latter 
under  the  Synod  of  the  Northwest  and  the 
Central  Synod. 

The  Eastern  Board,  organized  in  1875,  g^^^"""" 
has  ten  Missions  under  its  care.  Its  field  is 
somewhat  limited.  Its  policy  has  been  to 
establish  missions  in  large  cities  in  the  East, 
like  Boston,  Brooklyn,  Buffalo,  Philadelphia, 
and  Baltimore,  where  there  are  considerable 
numbers  of  foreign-speaking  Germans.  Its 
charter  provides  that  a  Mission  under  its 
care  and  entitled  to  its  support  must  use  the  its  Poiicy 
German  language  in  at  least  some  of  the 
services.  The  Board  has  done  a  commend- 
able work  and  has  been  instrumental  in  es- 
tablishing a  number  of  Missions  which  have 
grown  into  strong  self-supporting  congrega- 
tions. Our  Harbor  Mission  work,  now  in 
charge  of  General  Synod's  Board,  was  in- 
augurated by  this  body. 


140 


Our  Home  Mission  Work 


The  Western 
Board 


Territory 


Statistics  of  German  Missions  Under  the  Eastern 
Board 

Congregations 10 

Members 1413 

Sunday-school  enrollment 1584 

For  congregational  purposes $13,387 

For  benevolence 923 

Value  of  Mission  property 116,400 

Appropriation  by  the  Board 5,487 

Contributed  by  Missions 5,543 

The  Western  Board  has  had  a  far  more 
extensive  and  encouraging  history.  Formed 
in  1868  under  the  Synod  of  the  Northwest, 
this  Board  in  1882,  at  the  organization  of 
the  Central  Synod,  became  the  missionary 
agent  of  these  two  Synods.  "Under  its 
watchful  care  and  economical  management 
the  German  work  of  Home  Missions  in  the 
West  has  been  successfully  carried  forward 
ever  since.  With  an  immense  field  and  small 
resources,  this  Board  has  nevertheless  done 
a  great  work."* 

Its  territory  covers  practically  three- 
fourths  of  the  entire  United  States.  It  has 
eighty-five  Missions  under  its  care.  Rev. 
Frederick  Mayer,  D.  D.,  President,  reports: 

"The  field  of  the  Board  of  Home  Missions  of 


*Whitmer's  "150  Years,"  etc.,  p.  104. 


Our  German  Work  141 

the  Synod  of  the  Northwest  and  Central  Synod 
is  very  large. 

"The  Central  portion  comprises  Ohio,  Michi- 
gan, Indiana,  Illinois,  Kentucky,  and  Tennessee. 
Today  there  is  only  a  small  immigration  of 
Germans  into  these  States,  and  what  there  is 
settles  mostly  in  the  cities.  In  large  cities  there 
is  often  a  removal  of  Reformed  members  from 
one  section  to  another.  These  form  the  nucleus 
of  a  Mission.  Hence,  our  seventeen  Missions 
in  this  district,  mostly  German-English,  are 
principally  in  cities. 

''The  West.  In  Iowa,  Kansas,  Colorado,  and 
Oklahoma,  we  have  one  Mission  respectively, 
and  several  preaching  stations.  The  stream  of 
German  settlers  tends  toward  the  north  today, 
which  partly  accounts  for  the  small  number  of 
Missions  in  this  district. 

"The  Northwest  comprises  the  States  of 
Wisconsin,  Minnesota,  North  and  South  Dakota. 
Here  we  have  twenty-one  Missions,  consisting 
of  36  congregations ,  besides  a  number  of  preach- 
ing stations.  It  is  a  very  promising  field  for 
our  Church  and  challenges  our  best  efforts. 

"The  Pacific  District,  Oregon,  Washington, 
California,  and  Idaho.  Here  we  have  seven  mis- 
sions and  several  preaching  points.  The  rapid  in- 
crease of  the  population  in  these  States,  the  re- 
moval of  not  a  few  of  our  members  of  German  con- 
gregations in  the  East  to  that  section  of  our  country, 
the  zeal  of  our  brethren  there  for  our  Church,  is  a 
loud  IMacedonian  call  to  help.  The  opening  of 
the  Panama  Canal  will  unquestionably  greatly 
develop  the  Pacific  Coast.  The  Reformed 
Church  dare  not  neglect  this  opportunity.     A 


142  Oiir  Home  Mission  Work 

missionary-at-large  is  urgently  needed  for  this 
field. 

"  In  Canada  we  have  Missions  in  the  Provinces 
of  Manitoba,  Saskatchewan,  and  Alberta. 
Eight  missionaries  labor  here  under  great 
self-denial,  serving  twenty-one  congregations 
and  preaching  places.  The  extensive  field, 
the  extremely  cold  weather  in  winter,  the 
straitened  circumstances  of  new  settlers  coming 
from  Europe,  make  the  work  for  our  mission- 
aries rather  arduous." 


Pioneer  Work 


Rev.  C.  Hassel,  formerly  President  of  the 
Board,  writes:  "Our  work  of  Home  Missions 
is  a  pioneer  work.  It  is  conducted  under 
peculiar  difficulties,  and  it  is  no  wonder 
that  some  of  the  missionaries  at  times  almost 
lose  courage.  No  class  of  ministers  stand 
more  faithfully  at  their  posts  than  these 
pioneers  of  our  Church.  They  must  prac- 
tice many  self-denials,  are  often  so  far 
distant  that  they  can  seldom  enjoy  the 
spiritual  and  social  intercourse  of  their  min- 
isterial brethren  and  must  often  practice  the 
greatest  economy  in  order  to  make  their 
small  support  reach." 
?^^a  ^""'^  The  policy  of  the  Board  has  been  to  follow 
German  settlers  of  our  household  of  faith 
and  supply  them  with  the  ministrations  of 
the  gospel.  A  number  of  years  ago  Rev. 
William  Hansen  followed  a  colony  of  Ger- 


Our  German  Work  143 

mans  into  Canada.  He  labored  among 
these  people  with  much  heroism  and  self- 
sacrifice.  He  associated  others  with  him- 
self and  before  he  died,  several  years  ago,  he 
had  been  instrumental  in  organizing  a  Re- 
formed Classis  in  the  Dominion  with  nine 
congregations  and  661  members. 

The  Board*  made  very  commendable  ^^^gress 
progress  during  the  last  half  decade  under 
the  leadership  of  its  General  Secretary,  Rev. 
G.  D.  Elliker,  with  headquarters  at  LaCrosse, 
Wisconsin.  Under  his  inspiration  and  man- 
agement the  work  was  greatly  extended 
and  the  income  of  the  Board  considerably 
increased.  Failing  health,  however,  con- 
strained him  to  resign  the  office  September 
1,  1913. 

Statistics  of  German  Missions  Under  the  Western 
Board 

Congregations 85 

Members 4,852 

Sunday-school  enrollment 4,085 

For  congregational  piirposes $82,580 

For  benevolence 4,928 

Value  of  Mission  property 262,150 

Appropriated  by. the  Board 19,200 

Contributed  by  Missions 15,433 

*Its  Church-building  work  is  carried  forward  by  a 
separate  Board,  known  as  the  Board  of  Church  Erection. 
Its  work  will  be  considered  in  the  chapter,  "Our  Chiirch- 
building  Funds. " 


144  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

V.  Relation  to  General  Synod's  Board 
Relation  to  The  two  German  Boards  sustain  simply 
syvM'l  ^  nominal  relation  to  General  Synod's  Board 
Board            of    Home    Missions.    Their    members    are 

elected  by  their  respective  Synods  and  to 
them  alone  they  are  amenable,  but  their 
reports  to  the  General  Synod  are  incorporated 
in  the  report  of  General  Synod's  Board.  Two 
members  from  the  German  portion  of  the 
Church  hold  membership  on  General  Synod's 
Board  and  thus  have  a  part  in  determining 
its  policy.  In  consideration  of  the  mission- 
ary work  which  the  German  Boards  are 
doing,  General  Synod  lays  no  apportionment 
for  Home  Missions  upon  the  German  Synods, 
except  for  Harbor,  Hungarian,  Bohemian, 
and  Colored  Work.  In  order  to  further  en- 
courage the  German  Boards,  the  General 
Synod  has  ordered  its  Board  of  Home  Mis- 
sions to  pay  them  one  dollar  out  of  every 
fifteen  which  it  receives.  The  Woman's 
Home  and  Foreign  Missionary  Society  of 
General  Synod  likewise  is  giving  liberal  sup- 
port to  this  German  work. 

VI.  The  Future  Prospects  of  the  Work 
Adherence  to  xhe  assertion  is  frequently  made  that  the 
Language        Hiost  fruitful   Home  Missiou  field   for  our 

denomination  is  found  among  our  German 
brethren.     By  right  of  language,  as  also  by 


Our  German  Work  145 

loyalty  to  oiir  doctrine  and  cultus,  the  Ger- 
mans constitute  a  vital  and  essential  part  of 
our  denomination.  They  are  thoroughly 
familiar  with  our  history  and  genius,  and 
breathe  a  native  air  in  our  fellowship.  In 
many  quarters,  however,  their  unwillingness 
to  surrender  the  German  language  in  their 
worship  has  militated  against  their  progress. 
Many  of  their  young  people  have  drifted 
away  into  other  churches  and  into  the  world 
because  of  the  language.  Wherever  our 
German  churches  are  accommodating  them- 
selves to  the  demand  for  more  frequent 
English  services,  there,  as  a  rule,  large  and 
growing  congregations  may  be  found. 

The  missionary  work  among  these  people  a  pioneer 
appeals  more  strongly  to  the  imagination 
than  does  that  among  our  English  speaking 
brethren.  It  seems  to  be  more  of  a  pioneer 
work,  and  is  conducted  along  somewhat 
more  conservative  lines.  The  spirit  of  self- 
help  is  very  commendable,  and  frequently 
missions  go  to  self-support  after  they  have 
been  on  the  Board  only  a  few  years. 

Beyond  a  doubt  the  territory  in  which  our  ^®5*\^® 
German  Boards  are  operating  is  most  fertile  Fidd°° 
soil  for  mission  work.     A  recent  survey  by  a 
Committee  of  the  Home  Missions  Council, 
of  fifteen  States  in  the  West  and  the  North- 

10 


146  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

west,  discloses  some  interesting  and  sug- 
gestive facts.  The  district  covered  showed 
an  entire  population  of  13,448,752.  Its 
percentage  of  increase  during  the  decade 
was  twice  that  of  the  entire  country. 
During  the  year  1911,  11,371  foreign  Ger- 
mans entered  the  region,  the  largest  number 
settling  in  California,  Kansas,  Minnesota, 
Nebraska,  North  Dakota,  and  Washington. 
Over  five  per  cent,  of  the  churches  reported 
in  Oregon  use  the  German  language.  It  is 
estimated  that  there  are  33,000  school 
children  in  Oregon  without  organized  re- 
ligious care.  Someone  writes:  "I  have  lived 
here  eleven  years  and  I  think  there  have 
not  been  more  than  seven  sermons  preached 
in  this  district  in  that  time."  Another 
writes:  ''There  has  not  been  a  religious 
service  in  the  community  for  over  a  year." 
Washington,  Oregon,  and  California  offer 
peculiar  opportunities  for  work  among  the 
Germans.  The  entire  Church  should  come 
to  the  support  of  this  work  with  a  far  larger 
force  of  men  and  money.  These  German 
brethren  are  our  near  kin  in  the  flesh  as 
well  as  in  the  spirit.  The  investment  of 
men  and  money  in  the  work  at  this  opportune 
time  will  mean  large  returns  for  the  denomin- 
ation and  will  materially  aid  in  bringing  the 


Our  German  Work  147 

kingdom  more  speedily  into  the  life  of  the 
nation. 

QUESTIONS  ON  CHAPTER  V 

Aim:  To  obtain  an  insight  into  the  German  popu- 
lation OF  THIS  COUNTRY,  TO  OBSERVE  THE  PART  THEY 
PERFORM  IN  THE  DEVELOPMENT  OF  OUR  RELIGIOUS 
LIFE,  AND  TO  APPRECIATE  THE  OPPORTUOTTY  AND  RESPONSI- 
BILITY OF  THE  Reformed  Church  in  behalf  of  these 

PEOPLE. 

/.  German  Immigration 

1.  What  principal  causes  led  to  early  German  immi- 

gration? 

2.  Why  is  it  likely  that  German  immigration  will 

increase  in  the  near  future? 

3.  Where   did    the   first   German   immigrants   settle 

in  this  country? 

4.  Where  do  most  of  the  Germans  settle  who  come 

to  this  country  at  present? 

//.  Characteristics  of  the  Germans 

1.  What  are  some  of  the  outstanding  traits  of  the 

Germans? 

2.  In  what  way  do  the  characteristics  of  the  Germans 

make  it  comparatively  easy  to  estabUsh  churches 
among  them? 

3.  Are  there  any  elements  in  the  German  nationaUty 

that  would  serve  as  a  basis  for  rehgion  among 
them? 

III.  The  Reformed  Church  and  the  Germans 

1.  Mention  three  pioneers  among  the  Germans  in 
this  country  and  designate  the  fields  of  their 
work. 


148  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

2.  Define  the  territory  covered  by  the  Synod  of  the 

Northwest  and  give  its  statistics. 

3.  Define  the  territory  covered  by  the  Central  Synod, 

and  give  its  statistics. 

4.  Define  the  territory  covered  by  the  German  Synod 

of  the  East,  and  give  its  statistics. 

5.  What  benevolent  work  is  done  by  the  three  Ger- 

man Synods? 

IV.  German  Mission  Boards 

1.  How  many  Mission  Boards  in  the  German  Synods 

are  there? 

2.  How  many  Missions  imder  the  care  of  the    Eastern 

Board  and  where  are  they  principally  located? 

3.  How  many  Missions  under  the  care  of  the  Western 

Board  and  where  are  they  principally  located? 

4.  Describe  the  nature  and  extent  of  the  work   among 

the  Germans  in  Canada. 

V.  Relation  to  General  Synod's  Board 

1.  What   relation   do   the    German   Home   Mission 

Boards  sustain  to  General  Sj^nod's  Board? 

2.  What  support  does  General  Synod's  Board  give 

the  German  work? 

VI.  The  Future  Prospects  of  the  Work 

1.  How   does   the   unwillingness   to   relinquish    the 

German  language,  on  the  part  of  some  congre- 
gations, mihtate  against  the  growth  of  the  work? 

2.  In  what  way  does  the  work  among  the  Germans 

appeal  more  strongly  to  the  imagination? 

3.  State  some  facts  and  conditions  as  pertaining  to 

the  Germans  disclosed  in  a  religous  siu-vey  of 
the  West  and  Northwest. 

4.  What  hope  is  there  of  ultimate  success  if  the  Re- 

formed Church  invests  a  larger  force  of  men  and 
money  into  this  work? 


Our  German  Work  149 

REFERENCES  FOR  ADVANCED  STUDY 

The  Germans  in  America — Nuelson. 

The  German  Element  in  the  United  States — Faust. 

The  German  Pioneers  in  Pennsylvania — Richards. 

Minutes  of  the  German  SjTiods. 

Annual  Reports  of  the  German  Boards  of  Home  Missions. 

Historic  Manual,  321-327— Dubbs. 


OUR  CHURCH-BUILDING  FUNDS 


Is  it  worth  while  to  put  $500  into  a 
Church-building  Fund?  Yes,  is  the 
answer  that  comes  with  a  strong  empha- 
sis from  scores  of  those  who  years  ago 
c|id  so  and  who  have  lived  to  see  the 
result;  and  yes,  is  the  tender  answer 
that  comes  from  scores  of  the  happy 
dead  who  gave  Funds  in  lifetime  or  by 
will,  dear  hearts  now  looking  down  upon 
us  from  the  heavenly  world.  If  they 
could  give  our  mortal  ears  a  message  they 
would  say:  "Yes,  a  thousand  times,  yes, 
it  is  worth  while  to  put  large  money  into 
this  form  of  Church  work." 

Earthly  investments,  no  matter  how 
good,  will  sooner  or  later  perish,  but 
these  Funds  wiU  abide.  They  will  last 
for  ages;  at  least  they  will  serve  the  Lord 
imtil  something  higher  and  better  may 
take  their  place.  It  is  always  worth 
while  to  take  a  hearty  interest  in  what 
the  Church  is  doing  and  so  turn  our 
prayers  into  effort,  for  only  so  wiU  the 
Kingdom  come. — Whitmer. 


VI 

OUR  CHURCH-BUILDING  FUNDS 

I.  Housing  a  Mission 
In  the  life  and  growth  of  a  Mission  an  Adequate 

J  .  °  Equipment 

adequate  equipment  becomes  an  early  and  Necessity 
indispensable  necessity.  A  houseless  con- 
gregation finds  itself  seriously  handicapped 
in  its  work.  It  is  poor  policy  for  the  Church 
to  bring  Missions  into  existence  and  then 
lay  them  helpless  on  the  doorstep  of  the 
community  with  the  hope  that  they  may  be 
taken  up  and  cared  for  by  the  very  people 
whom  they  are  intended  to  serve. 

A  building  is  not  always  an  absolute  guar- 
antee to  spiritual  success  in  a  Mission,  never- 
theless it  is  a  most  important  factor,  par- 
ticularly in  the  initial  stage  of  the  work. 
The  Southern  Methodists  lost  60  per  cent, 
of  their  converts  for  lack  of  church  buildings 
early  in  their  history.  The  survey  of  the 
Home  Missions  Council  in  Washington  shows 
that  only  69.3  per  cent,  of  the  organizations 
153 


154  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

have  church  buildings.  The  Southern  Bap- 
tist Convention  reports  over  3,500  houseless 
churches. 

True,  some  of  the  greatest  revivals  the 
Church  ever  witnessed  were  conducted  under 
the  open  sky,  or  in  a  temporary  tent  or 
tabernacle.  There  were  no  elaborate  fur- 
nishings, no  artistic  decorations,  no  stained 
glass  windows,  but  a  Mission  is  not  a  parallel 
case  with  a  revival,  for  into  a  revival  usually 
enter  a  number  of  established  congregations, 
and  the  work  is  avowedly  of  a  temporary 
character  to  meet  a  specific  local  situation. 

Locauzes  the  1,  ^  Suitable  buildiug  at  once  challenges 
the  attention  of  the  community.  It  localizes 
the  work  of  the  Mission.  It  gives  it  definite- 
ness.  It  crystallizes  sentiment  at  one  point. 
It  fixes  the  place  for  worship.  The  build- 
ing is  not  the  Church,  but  it  indicates  the 
place  where  the  Church  may  be  found.  It 
is  the  meeting  ground  of  God's  people. 

Permanency  2.  It  couvcys  the  idea  of  permanency. 
''It  makes  the  passing  permanent,  the  evan- 
escent everlasting,"  In  the  estimation  of 
the  community  a  Mission  at  the  first,  is 
usually  on  probation.  People  stand  aloof 
from  it  until  they  recognize  that  it  has 
actually  come  to  stay.  Into  a  temporary 
organization  suggested  by  tent  or  hall  they 


Our  Church-Building  Funds         155 

are  loathe  to  enter.  The  building  declares 
in  emphatic  language  that  the  project  is  a 
permanent  one.  The  psychological  effect  of 
this  upon  a  community  is  frequently  under- 
estimated. 

3.  It  constitutes  the  rallying  center  of  the  J^^^^^J^^ 
social  and  religious  life  of  the  people.  Re- 
ligion expresses  itself  in  social  terms  and 
social  relationships.  The  spiritual  fires  of  the 
heart  are  kept  alive  by  fellowship  and  com- 
munion. The  social  solidarity  of  Chris- 
tians is  an  essential  element  in  their  spiritual 
development.     It  is  with  all  saints  that  we 

are  able  to  apprehend  what  is  the  length 
and  breadth  and  height  and  depth  and  to 
know  the  love  of  God  which  passeth  knowl- 
edge. Without  a  place  where  these  religious 
fires  may  be  fed,  and  from  which  they  may 
radiate,  they  would  be  in  danger  of  soon 
dying  out. 

4.  It  materializes  the  spiritual.     Certain  sacrament 
ideas  and  ideals  are  wrought  into  the  build- 
ing.    They   find   their   expression   in   wood 

and  stone,  in  material  form  and  formation. 
The  building  thus  becomes  a  sacrament  to 
the  people,  the  visible  embodiment  of  an 
invisible  truth.  Just  as  the  principles  of 
education,  business  or  government  embody 
themselves  in  school  houses,  factories,  and 


156 


Our  Home  Mission  Work 


Spiritual 
Force 


Location 


Weighed 
Down  by 
Debt 


government  buildings,  so  must  religion  em- 
body and  express  itself  in  suitable  church 
edifices. 

5.  It  spiritualizes  the  material.  This  is 
the  principal  purpose  of  the  Church.  It  is 
a  spiritual  force  making  for  the  uplift,  the 
vitalizing  and  christianizing  of  the  entire  com- 
munity in  which  it  is  established.  From 
the  Church  as  a  spiritual  center  there  is  to 
emanate  an  influence  that  shall  permeate 
and  pervade  every  phase  of  social,  industrial, 
commercial,  political,  national,  and  religious 
life. 

A  church  building  that  is  to  fulfill  its 
mission  properly  must  be  well  located,  and  in 
external  appearance  conform  somewhat  to 
its  immediate  surroundings.  To  put  a  church 
in  a  city  on  an  obscure  side  street  or  into  an 
alley  would  never  do.  To  build  it  of  wood 
while  the  people  of  the  same  neighborhood 
live  in  marble  houses  would  be  as  incongruous 
as  it  was  when  David  set  out  to  build  the 
House  of  the  Lord. 

Moreover,  a  Mission  Church  must  not  be 
too  heavily  encumbered  by  debt  lest  it  be 
obliged  to  expend  its  efforts  upon  itself 
rather  than  in  service  to  the  community. 
The  purpose  of  a  Mission  is  not  simply  to 
gather  unto  itself  a  large  congregation  but, 


Our  Church-Building  Funds         157 

also  to  develop  in  its  members  true  religion 
which  expresses  itself  in  unselfish  service 
and  in  liberality  in  the  general  work  of  the 
Kingdom.  Consequently,  if  a  Mission, 
throughout  an  entire  generation  must  center 
its  financial  eJBforts  upon  itself,  its  spiritual 
life  is  in  danger  of  arrest,  and  its  primary 
purpose  apt  to  be  deflected. 

It  is  plain,  therefore,  that  a  Mission,  if  it 
is  to  render  its  best  and  highest  service  to 
the  community,  must  be  properly  housed.  It 
is,  however,  precisely  at  this  point  where  it 
finds  itself  most  frequently  embarrassed. 
Its  membership  is  small;  its  financial  re- 
sources limited;  its  credit  in  banking  institu- 
tions meager.  If  a  suitable  house  of  worship 
is  to  be  built  it  is  manifest  that  substantial 
assistance  must  be  provided  from  some 
other  source. 

II.  Early  Efforts 

Conscious  of  this  fact,  the  Reformed  Groping 
Church  found  itself  groping  after  some  prac- 
tical method  long  before  our  present  plan  of 
Church-building  Funds  crystallized  into 
definite  and  systematic  shape.  Early  in 
our  history  the  missionary  or  some  one 
specially  commissioned,  would  visit  congre- 
gations and  individuals  and  solicit  money 
for  special  Missions.     In  this  way  a  number 


158  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

of  our  churches  were  built  and  paid  for. 
But  this  method  was  too  sporadic;  it  lacked 
system  and  permanency.  Something  that 
would  assure  a  more  permanent  arrange- 
ment was  desirable.  Consequently,  in  the 
year  1853,  the  Eastern  Synod  appointed  a 
Special  Committee  to  consider  the  expediency 
of  creating  a  Church  Extension  Society. 
Several  leading  denominations  in  this  coun- 
try already  had  such  an  organization,  but 
the  matter  ended  simply  in  discussion.     In 

1855  the  subject  was  again  urged,  and  in 

1856  the  Synod,  feeling  that  its  Board  of 
Missions  had  been  created  for  just  such  a 
purpose,  directed  this  organization  to  es- 
tablish a  Church  Erection  Fund,  the  same 
to  be  kept  distinct  from  the  current  mis- 
sionary income  and  no  use  be  made  thereof 
until  it  had  reached  the  capital  sum  of  $10,- 
000.  But  this  well  intended  action  on  the 
part  of  the  Synod  again  failed  to  be  carried 
into  practical  effect. 

Two  _^ ^  The  Ohio  Synod,  likewise,  in  1856  instruct- 
ed its  Board  of  Missions  to  consider  church 
building  as  a  distinct  part  of  its  work.  In 
1863  the  Eastern  Synod  again  took  definite 
action  designating  its  Board  of  Missions  as  a 
Church-building  Board  and  directing  that 
its  finances  should  be  kept  in  two  depart- 


Departments 


REVEREND  A.  CARL  WHITAIER. 

Sl'PERINTENDKNT  OF  MISSIONS  SIN'CE   I886. 


Our  Church-Building  Funds         159 

ments,  or  funds — a  current  fund  to  be  used 
at  the  discretion  of  the  Board,  and  a  per- 
manent fund  whose  interest  alone  should  be 
available.  Weak  congregations  were  to  be 
helped  by  loan  or  by  gift — the  loan  always 
to  be  secured  by  first  mortgage.  In  1881, 
the  Board  asked  the  Synod  for  yearly  col- 
lections for  Church-building  and  in  1886 
Synod  for  the  first  time  made  an  apportion- 
ment for  Church-building. 

Thus  it  will  be  observed  that  while  the  ^"^f  ^*^°' 
importance  of  this  phase  of  Home  Mission  wiiitmer-s 
work  was  generally  recognized  throughout  ^^^" 
the  Church,  no  clearly  defined  or  workable 
plan  had  as  yet  been  fully  developed.  To 
Superintendent  A.  C.  Whitmer  belongs  the 
credit  of  perfecting  the  plan  of  our  Church- 
building  Funds.  In  1886,  when  he  entered 
upon  office  as  Superintendent  of  Missions  in 
the  three  Synods,  the  Eastern  Synod,  the 
Synod  of  the  Potomac,  and  the  Pittsburgh 
Synod,  he  wrought  out  a  plan  which  at  once 
commended  itself  to  the  entire  Church. 
This  plan,  which  is  still  in  vogue,  has  meant 
so  much  for  our  Home  Mission  work.  The 
plan  as  it  was  finally  submitted  to  the 
Synods  and  adopted  in  1886  covered  the 
following  points: 


160  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

1.  Each  Fund  shall  be  at  least  $500. 

2.  It  shall  bear  a  distinct  name,  that  of  the  giver  or 
any  other  name  he  shall  choose,  approved  by  the  Board 
of  Missions. 

3.  It  shall  be  under  the  care  and  control  of  the  Board  of 
Missions. 

4.  It  shall  be  held  as  a  distinct  Fund;  but  interest  paid 
on  it  from  time  to  time  shall  be  used  as  the  Board  may  see  fit. 

5.  It  shall  be  used  only  for  the  building  of  churches  or 
Missions  imder  this  Board. 

6.  No  Fund  and  no  part  of  any  Fund  shall  be  a  gift  to 
the  Mission;  but  the  money  shall  always  be  loaned 
on  first  mortgage,  payable  within  ten  years  in  such  in- 
stallments and  at  such  rate  of  interest  as  may  be  agreed 
upon  by  the  Board  and  the  Missions. 

The  simplicity  of  the  plan  was  one  of  its 
features  which  particularly  commended  it 
to  the  Church.  There  was  nothing  com- 
plicated or  involved  about  it.  Everybody 
could  understand  it,  and  so  carefully  had  it 
been  wrought  out  before  it  was  finally  sub- 
mitted to  the  Church  that  no  marked  modi- 
fications since  then  have  been  deemed  neces- 
sary. 

III.  Funds  Under  the  Different  Boards 
I.   The  Tri-Synodic  Board 

The  plan,  it  will  be  noted,  originated  in 
the  Tri-Synodic  Board,  officially  known  as 
the  Board  of  Missions,  which  represented 


Our  Church-Building  Funds         161 

the  Eastern,  the  Potomac,  and  the  Pitts- 
burgh Synods.  In  1892,  the  Missions  under 
this  Board  were  transferred  to  General 
Synod's  Board,  but  the  Eastern  and  Potomac 
Synods  continued  as  the  Board  of  Missions 
and  exercised  supervision  of  their  trust 
moneys,  including  the  Church-building  Funds. 

At  first  the  securing  of  these  Funds  was  a  The  First 

Fund 

very  slow  process.  The  first  Fund  was 
raised  in  response  to  an  appeal  for  $500 
which  was  to  be  loaned  to  a  Mission  in 
Kansas.  The  contributors  to  this  Fund 
were  as  follows: 

Missionary    Society  of    Martinsburg,  W.  Va.,  per 

Rev.  J.  A.  Hoffheins,  D.D $50.00 

Missionary  Society  of  Hellertown,   Pa.,   per  Rev. 

A.  B.  Koplin,  D.D 47.50 

Missionary  Society  of  Lower  Saucon,  per  Rev.  A.  B. 

KopUn,  D.D 25.00 

Reformed  Church  of  Frederick,  Md.,  per  Rev.  E.  R. 

Eschbach,  D.D 50.00 

Schlatter  Missionary  Society  of  Third  St.  Church, 

Easton,  Pa.,  per  Rev.  H.  M.  Ivieffer,  D.D 50.00 

Elder  Jacob  Bausman,  Lancaster,  Pa 50.00 

Rev.  B.  Bausman,  D.  D.,  Reading,  Pa 50.00 

St.  John's  Reformed  Simday-school  of  Allentown, 

Pa.,  per  Rev.  S.  G.  Wagner,  D.D 50.00 

St.  Paul's  Missionary  Society  of  Rockingham  Charge, 

Virginia,  per  Rev.  B.  R.  Carnahan 50.00 

Missionary  Society  of  Trinity  Reformed  Church, 

St.  Clairsville,  Pa.,  per  Elder  Henry  Beckley 27.50 

Elder  S.  H.  Lenhart,  West  Leesport,  Pa 50.00 

11 


162 


Our  Home  Mission  Work 


Second  and 
Third  Funds 


The  second  Fund  came  from  Virginia  Classis 
and  bears  its  name.  The  third  came  from 
the  Missionary  Society  of  Emanuel's  Re- 
formed Church,  Hanover,  through  the  pas- 
tor. Rev.  J.  C.  Bowman,  D.  D.  After  that 
they  came  in  ever  increasing  numbers. 
When  the  Board  of  Missions  in  November, 
1913,  transferred  all  its  assets,  aggregating 
$83,828,  to  the  General  Synod's  Board,  there 
were  included  61  Church-building  Funds, 
amounting  to  $41,916.67. 


Two 

Methods 


2.  General  Synod's  Board 

In  the  year  1890,  when  the  General  Synod's 
Board  began  its  active  work  west  of  the 
Alleghany  Mountains,  it  also  raised  money 
for  church-building  purposes,  but  called  the 
same  Church  Extension  Funds.  It  was  not 
until  1899*  that  the  uniform  name  of 
Church-building  Funds  was  adopted  by 
both  of  these  Boards.  This  was  done  in 
order  to  avoid  confusion  throughout  the 
Church.  The  General  Synod's  Board  for  a 
number  of  years  bought  the  lot,  erected  the 
building  for  the  Mission  and  held  the  same 
in  trust  until  such  a  time  as  the  Mission  was 


*The  Minutes  of  the  General  Synod  since  1899  give  a 
complete  list  of  the  Funds  tmder  the  English  Boards. 


Our  Church-Building  Funds         163 

able  to  pay  for  it.  The  Board  of  Missions 
pursued  another  policy  and  asked  the  Mis- 
sion to  take  title  to  the  property,  and  give  a 
mortgage  to  the  Board.  Since  1910  the 
General  Synod's  Board  has  been  piu-suing 
the  same  policy  with  the  thought  that  such 
an  arrangement  would  develop  greater  inter- 
est and  zeal  on  the  part  of  its  Missions. 
The  General  Board  has  at  the  present  time 
377  Funds  aggregating  $241,005.28. 

3.   The  German  Boards 

Dr.  C.  F.  Kriete,  of  Louisville,  Kentucky,  ^^J^^^ 
the  President  of  the  Board  of  Church  Erec-  synods 
tion  of  the  Synod  of  the  Northwest  and  of 
the  Central  Synod,  writes  as  follows:  ''The 
Board  of  Church  Erection  Funds  of  the 
Synod  of  the  Northwest  and  Central  Synod 
was  founded  in  1873.  At  that  time  the 
Central  Synod  had  not  been  organized. 
When  the  new  Synod  was  formed  out  of 
two  Classes  of  the  Synod  of  the  Northwest 
and  two  of  the  Ohio  Synod,  this  new  Synod 
was  given  two  members  on  this  Board,  and 
the  Synod  of  the  Northwest  retained  three, 
which  is  the  proportion  prevailing  today. 
The  assets  of  this  Board  amount  to  $81,314. 
Most  of  this  money  has  been  raised  through 


164  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

individual  contributions,  a  few  bequests,  but 
mostly  by  the  annual  collection  on  Whit 
Sunday,  as  also  by  the  offering  on  Home 
Mission  Day  which  has  lately  been  intro- 
duced among  the  German  churches.  There 
are  now  thirty-seven  $500  Funds,  all  of 
which  have  been  secured  during  the  last 
four  years.  During  the  first  twenty-five 
years  of  its  history,  this  Board  aided  50 
congregations  and  during  the  forty  years  of 
its  existence  it  assisted  more  than  100.  It 
supports  congregations  from  Tennessee  to 
Canada,  and  from  Cleveland  to  the  Pacific 
Coast,  together  with  a  dozen  churches  in 
Canada." 

The  Board  of  the  German  Synod  of  the 
East  has  also  been  carrying  forward  the  work 
of  Church-building  and  has  a  Fund  of  $3,785. 
Most  of  this  amount  was  raised  by  freewill 
offerings  by  the  congregations  of  the  Synod. 

Summary 

Funds  Amovmt 

Tri-Synodic  Board 61  $  41,916.67 

General  Synod's  Board 377  241,005.28 

Western  German  Board 37  81,314.00 

Eastern  German  Board 3,785.00 

Total 475        $448,020.95 

A  conservative  estimate  warrants  the 
statement  that  during  the  last  fifty  years 


fin  K<^**       I       *M 


■  ui^: 


\]% 


\ ///,■/,/>  III!/. I.  [/: 


ii 


■twmmitmmj 


rfT^=iigii«8B^siwap»'" .- 


J 


upon  a  receipt  of  $300  or  more  the  Board  issues  a  certijicalc  of  loliich  the 
above  is  a  reduced  fac-siniile. 


Our  Church-Building  Funds        165 

more  than  500  congregations*  have  been 
aided  by  the  Boards  in  the  erection  of  their 
church  buildings. 

IV.  How  They  Are  Provided 

1.  By  Apportionment.     For  a  number  of  Apportion- 

ment 

years  the  General  Synod  has  laid  an  appor- 
tionment of  six  cents  per  member  for  Church- 
building  purposes.  This  has  enabled  the 
Board  to  carry  the  expenses  of  the  depart- 
ment and  also  to  make  certain  appropria- 
tions in  the  form  of  outright  gifts  to  Missions 
which  could  not  otherwise  have  been  done. 
Over  $13,000  was  realized  in  this  way  during 
the  last  triennium. 

2.  By  Special  Home  Mission  Day  Offer-  Home  Mission 
ings.     Since  1906  the  Church  has  annually 

during  the  month  of  November,  observed  a 
special  Home  Mission  Day  in  the  congrega- 
tions and  Sunday-schools.  The  offerings 
realized  on  this  day  are  usually  applied  to  a 
Mission  or  Missions  engaged  in  erecting  a 
building,  or  in  liquidating  a  debt  incurred 
by  building.  The  following  Missions  have 
been  helped  in  this  manner: 


*For  a  partial  list  see  Minutes  of  General  Synod,  1911, 
p.  113  et  sq. 


166  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

Mission  Amount 

1906.  Grace,  Chicago,  lU-  [Received  the  offerings 

1907.  Grace,  Chicago,  lU-V^^     <^^'«     successive 

[years $13,366.23 

1908.  St.  Paul's  Kansas  City,  Mo 6,687.09 

1909.  Christ,  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  and  Trinity,  Lew- 

istown,  Pa 6,153.16 

1910.  First,  Cedar  Rapids,  Iowa 9,150.00 

1911.  First  Enghsh,  Louisville,  Ky 6,062  21 

1912.  Denver,  Colo.;  Springfield,  Ohio;  Lincoln- 

ton,  N.  C 10,649  87 

1913.  The  General  Church-building  Fund 10,142  13 

3.  By  Direct  Contribution.     Most  of  the 
Church-building  Funds  come  to  the  Board 
in  this  way. 
Memorials  (^^^  ^g    memorials.     Persons    wishing    to 

erect  memorials  to  their  loved  ones  contribute 
a  Fund  or  more.  They  find  comfort  and 
satisfaction  in  so  doing.  Hereby  they  per- 
petuate the  names  of  their  deceased,  they 
embalm  them  in  the  records  of  the  Church 
and  forever  associate  them  with  the  en- 
larging work  of  the  Kingdom.  Beautiful 
and  lasting  are  the  memorials  which  are 
thus  set  up.  When  the  children  of  Rev.  Dr. 
Charles  F.  and  Maria  Hoke  McCauley  sent 
the  money  for  this  Fund,  they  said:  "We 
have  chosen  this  as  the  most  enduring  mem- 
orial to  our  sainted  parents,  believing  it  to 
be  the  best  monument  we  could  erect  to 
their  saintly  lives  and  holy  characters." 


Our  Church-Building  Funds        167 


WUling 

Service 


(b)  As   tokens   of   appreciation.     In   this  Appreciation 
way  congregations  honor  their  pastors,  and 
Sunday-schools  and  Missionary  Societies  their 
leading  workers.     Many  of  these  Funds  bear 

the  names  of  pastors  and  congregations.  Not 
long  since  at  a  dinner  table,  the  head  of  the 
house  signified  his  willingness  to  give  a 
Church-building  Fund  of  $500,  bearing  his 
own  name.  His  wife,  at  the  other  end  of 
the  table,  responded:  ''I  will  not  allow  my 
husband  to  outdo  me  in  generosity.  I  also 
will  give  a  Fund  and  it  shall  bear  the  name 
of  my  pastor." 

(c)  As  expressions  of  willing  service.  The 
Elders'  Funds  of  the  Pittsburgh  and  the 
Ohio  Synods  came  to  the  Board  in  this  way. 
The  forty-one  Funds  contributed  by  the 
Woman's  Missionary  Society  of  General 
Synod  are  largely  of  this  character.  The 
twenty  Funds  from  the  Evangelical  Church 
of  Frederick,  Maryland,  comprise  all  of  the 
above  phases  of  giving.  The  catechumens  of 
the  Church  from  year  to  year  have  been 
making  offerings  and  have  a  number  of 
Funds  to  their  credit. 

(d)  As  evidences  of  gratitude.  Some  of 
the  Funds  come  from  humble  sources,  yet 
out  of  truly  grateful  hearts.  An  aged  couple, 
who  are  making  a  living  by  hard  and  honest 


Gratitude 


168 


Our  Home  Mission  Work 


Installment 
Plan 


Bequest 


toil,  wished  to  render  their  gratitude  to  God 
for  many  blessings  received.  So  they  pro- 
vided a  Lord's  box  into  which  they  regularly 
deposited  a  proportion  of  whatever  money 
came  into  their  hands.  At  the  end  of  ten 
months,  curious  to  know  the  amount  which 
the  box  contained,  they  opened  it  and  were 
surprised  to  find  more  than  $500.  Immedi- 
ately they  established  a  Church-building 
Fund  bearing  their  own  names. 

Another  servant  conscientiously  sets  aside 
one-tenth  of  his  income  to  the  Lord.  When 
he  purchased  an  automobile  for  his  own 
pleasure  and  convenience,  he  at  once  estab- 
lished a  Church-building  Fund  to  bear  the 
names  of  his  parents  who  sleep  in  the  ceme- 
tery hard  by  the  old  church  where  he  still 
worships. 

A  goodly  number  of  these  Funds  are  paid 
on  the  installment  plan.  Sometimes  indi- 
vidual donors  require  from  three  to  five 
years  to  complete  a  Fund.  Congregations 
and  other  organizations  adopt  the  same 
method. 

4.  By  Bequest.  A  person  reasons  rightly 
as  follows:  "During  my  lifetime  I  was  ac- 
customed to  give  a  certain  amount  of  money 
annually  to  Home  Missions.  After  I  am 
here  no  more  my  contributions  will  naturally 


Our  Church-Building  Funds         169 

cease,  and  my  influence  in  the  building  up 
of  the  Kingdom  on  earth  be  nullified.  But 
by  bequeathing  a  certain  amount  of  money 
to  the  Board  of  Home  Missions,  my  contri- 
bution and  my  influence  may  go  forward 
perpetually  even  though  my  physical  presence 
be  here  no  more."  Thus  quite  a  number  of 
people  are  remembering  these  Church-build- 
ing Funds  in  their  wills.  It  has  almost  be- 
come a  disgrace  for  a  person  of  means  to 
pass  out  of  the  world  without  making  some 
provision  for  the  continuance  of  his  work 
after  he  is  gone.  It  is  a  mistake  to  leave 
large  fortunes  to  one's  offspring  without 
making  adequate  provision  for  the  King- 
dom. The  rich  man's  child  generally  finds 
himself  handicapped  and  is  unable  to  cope 
with  the  child  who  has  to  fight  his  own  way 
through  life.  In  making  a  bequest  it  is 
important  to  use  the  correct  title  of  the 
Board,  and  to  state  definitely  that  the 
money  is  for  a  Church-building  Fund.  The 
following  form  will  be  found  to  be  correct: 

I  give  and  bequeath  to  the  Board  of  Home  Missions  of 
the  Reformed  Church  in  the  United  States,  the  sum  of 
hundred  dollars  for  a  Church-building  Fimd. 

Such  a  will,  however,  must  be  made  at  least 
thirty  days  before  death  and  must  be  signed 
in  the  presence  of  two  subscribing  witnesses. 


170  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

^os^  5.  By  Post  Mortuary  Note.     There  are 

Note  some  persons  who  do  not  want  to  make  a  will, 

or  having  made  a  will  they  do  not  care  to 
change  it,  and  yet  want  to  provide  for  one 
or  more  Church-building  Funds.  A  safe 
and  suitable  method  has  been  provided  by 
giving  a  note  payable  one  year  after  death. 
The  Board  is  an  incorporated  body;  it  is 
accustomed  to  handling  trust  funds;  it  has 
never  lost  any  money  in  its  Church-building 
Fund  department,  for  it  takes  the  greatest 
precaution  in  all  its  investments  and  pro- 
tects them  by  mortgage  or  other  approved 
security.  The  following  form  is  commended 
for  this  kind  of  giving: 


In  consideration  of  benefits  received  by  me  as  a  member 
of  tlie  Reformed  Church  in  the  United  States,  I  hereby 
promise  to  pay  to  the  Treasurer  of  the  Board  of  Home 
Missions  of  the  Reformed  Church  in  the  United  States, 
the  sum  of dollars  for  a  Church- 
building  Fund,  said  sum  to  be  due  and  payable  in  one 
year  from  date  of  my  death,  without  interest. 

Witness  my  hand  and  seal  this day  of 

A.D.,  19.... 


Signed  in  the  presence  of 


Our  Church-Building  Funds         171 

This  note,  however,  must  be  delivered  to 
some  officer  or  member  of  the  Board  or  to 
some  person  in  trust  for  the  Board. 

6.  By  Annuity.     There  are  some  persons  Annuity 
who  need   the  income  of  their  investment 
during    their    natural    life.     Provision    has 
been  made  in  such  instances  to  pay  a  certain 
percentage  as  interest. 

V.  How  They  Work 

1.  Loan  Funds.     For  many  years  all  the  Loan  Funds 
Funds  received  by  the  Board  were  of  the 

nature  of  Loan  Funds;  that  is,  as  the  name 
indicates,  they  are  loaned  to  Missions  at  a 
nominal  rate  of  interest  for  a  specified  period 
of  time,  with  the  understanding  that  they 
are  to  be  refunded  and  then  are  to  be  loaned 
out  again  to  another  Mission,  and  so  on 
perpetually.  It  is  in  this  way  that  these 
Funds  are  rendering  perpetual  service  in  the 
Church. 

2.  Gift  Funds.     In  order  to  encourage  the  Gift  Funds 
Missions  in  their  efforts  to  diminish  their 

debts,  the  Board  introduced  the  plan  of 
Gift  Church-building  Funds.  Any  person 
or  organization  contributing  a  Church-build- 
ing Fund  can  state  whether  it  is  to  be  used 
as  a  Loan  Fund  or  as  a  Gift  Fund.     The 


172  Our  Home  IMission  Work 

donors  likewise  have  the  privilege  of  specify- 
ing where  such  Gift  Funds  are  to  be  ap- 
plied. This  privilege  applies  to  the  Missions 
themselves  as  well  as  to  other  congregations 
or  individuals.  The  only  condition  is  that 
the  Funds  thus  raised  by  the  Missions  must 
be  applied  to  the  debt  owing  to  the  Board 
of  Home  Missions.  A  Gift  Fund  is  not  ex- 
pected to  be  returned  to  the  Board.  It  is  a 
direct  investment  into  the  Mission  itself. 
Because  of  the  heavy  indebtedness  resting 
upon  a  great  many  of  our  Missions,  these 
Gift  Funds  have  not  only  stimulated  the 
Missions  to  help  themselves,  but  they  have 
also  proven  a  great  blessing  in  sending 
timely  relief  to  these  struggling  interests. 

VI.  What  Others  Are  Doing. 

others  do  Practically  every  leading  Protestant  de- 

nomination in  the  land  is  actively  engaged 
in  raising  a  large  sum  for  Church-building 
purposes.  The  following  figures  may  indi- 
cate what  some  others  are  doing  along  this 
line: 


Our  Church-Building  Funds        173 

Amoxint  in 
Denomination  Fund 

Presbyterian  U.  S.  A $  5,881,511 

Congregational 4,603,570 

Lutheran 1,681,823 

Methodist  Episcopal  North 10,997,961 

Methodist  Episcopal  South 3,121,525 

Disciples  of  Christ 1,500,000 

Protestant  Episcopal 837,685 

If  the  Reformed  Church  is  to  march  in  this 
company  it  is  necessary  to  raise  more  than 
half  a  million  for  this  purpose. 

VII.  The  Jubilee  Fund. 

A  Thousand 

In  recognition  of  its  Fiftieth  Anniversary  ^™^^ 
under  the  General  Synod,  the  Board  of  Home 
Missions  has  entered  upon  a  campaign  to 
raise  a  thousand  Church-building  Funds  as 
speedily  as  possible,  so  as  to  relieve  the  Mis- 
sions of  their  excessive  burdens,  to  furnish 
them  with  adequate  equipment,  to  bring 
them  to  speedy  self-support,  and  enable  the 
Board  to  enter  upon  a  period  of  constructive 
Home  Mission  work. 

This  challenge  should  find  an  earnest  re- 
sponse in  every  individual  and  in  every  con- 
gregation that  may  be  vitally  interested  in 
the  affairs  of  the  Kingdom.  Nothing  should 
give  Church  members  greater  joy  or  satis- 


174  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

faction  than  to  co-operate  in  extending  to 
others  the  spiritual  blessings  which  they 
themselves  enjoy. 

QUESTIONS 

Aim:  To  understand  the  meaning  and  method  of 
Church-building    Funds    and   to    appreciate    their 

VALUE  in  the  work  OF  HOME  MISSIONS  AS  A  CONSERVING 
AND  INSPIRING    FACTOR. 

1.  Housing  a  Mission 

1.  In  what  way  does  a  houseless  Mission  find  itself 

handicapped  in  its  work? 

2.  What  per  cent,  of  church  organizations  are  without 

buildings?     How  does  this  apply  to  the  Reformed 
Church? 

3.  In  what  way  does  a  church  building  impart  the 

idea  of  permanency? 

4.  How  does  the  social  life  as  centered  in  the  Church 

affect  the  spiritual  life  of  the  people? 

5.  Explain  how  a  building  materiahzes  the  spiritual 

and  spiritualizes  the  material. 

6.  How  do  location  and  debt  affect  the  progress  of  a 

Mission? 

2.  Early  Efforts 

1.  How  did  the  Reformed  Church  develop  its  plan 

of  Church-building  Fvmds? 

2.  How  old  is  the  present  plan  and  who  originated  it? 

3.  What  are  the  outstanding  conditions  of  the  plan 

as  finally  adopted? 

3.  Funds  Under  the  Different  Boards 

1.  Where  did  the  first  three  Fimds  come  from? 

2.  When  was  the  uniform  name  of  Church-building 

Funds  adopted? 


Our  Church-Building  Funds        175 

3.  When  was  the  Board  of  Church  Erection  in  the 

German  Synods  estabhshed? 

4.  Give  the  number  and  value  of  the  Funds  in  the 

respective  Synods  of  the  Church. 

5.  How  many  churches  have  been   assisted  in  the 

erection  of  their  buildings  by  these  Funds? 

4-  How  They  are  Provided 

1.  What  amoimt  is  reahzed  through  the  apportion- 

ment for  Church-building? 

2.  Of  what  practical  value  is  Home  Mission   Day 

to  the  Church? 

3.  How  do  Church-building  Fimds  serve  as  memorials  ? 

4.  How  may  one's  devotion  to  the  Church  be  recog- 

nized through  a  Church-building  Fund? 

5.  Name  some  congregations  that  have  raised  large 

numbers  of  Church-building  Funds. 

6.  What  provision  is  there  for  paying  Church-building 

Funds  on  the  instaUment  plan? 

7.  Is  it  proper  to  remember  the  work  of  Home  Mis- 

sions in  one's  will  ? 

8.  What  do  you  understand  by  a  Post  Mortuary  Note? 

9.  What  is  an  annuity? 

6.  How  They  Work 

1.  What  is  the  difference  between  a  Loan  Fund  and  a 
Gift  Fund? 

6.  What  Others  are  Doing 

1.  With  what  success  have  other  denominations  car- 
ried forward  the  work  of  Chiirch-building? 

7.  The  Jubilee  Fund 

1.  What  is  the  meaning  of  the  Jubilee  Fund  and  what 

is  it  supposed  to  accomplish? 

2.  In  what  should  Church  members  find  their  highest 

joy? 


176  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

REFERENCES  FOR  ADVANCED  STUDY 

Our  Church-building  Funds — WTiitmer,  1891. 
Our  Church-building  Funds,  2nd  Edition,  1894. 
The  Church  Extension  Work— Fouse,  1896. 
Tract— Whitmer,  1897. 

The  Story  of  our  Church-building  Funds — Whitmer,  1902. 
Another  Story  of  Our  Church-building  Fvmds — Whitmer, 
1908. 
Minutes  of  the  General  Ssmod  from  1890. 
The  Forward  Movement  in  Home  Missions,  1911. 
Honor  the  Lord  With  Thy  Substance — Whitmer. 


AN  ADEQUATE  SUPPORT  OF  THE 
WORK 


12 


"Money  is  not  the  thing  ultimately 
or  even  actually  aimed  at.  Money  is 
not  what  really  coimts,  though  it  must 
be  counted.  Money  signifies,  that  is, 
it  is  a  sign.  It  is  not  the  thing  signified. 
There  is  mystery  in  money.  Money  is 
life,  put  up  in  paper,  condensed  in  coin, 
available  anywhere,  for  anything,  at 
any  time.  There  Ues  the  secret  of  its 
mystery  and  mischief.  That  is  why 
it  is  so  mighty  as  a  means  and  so  miser- 
able as  an  end.  That  is  why  it  is  one 
of  the  best  of  servants  and  the  very 
worst  of  masters.  Money  can  never 
take  first  place  or  the  very  Gospel  is 
denied.  No  work  that  can  be  done 
merely  by  money  is  Christian  work. 
No  aim  that  can  be  given  a  cash  value 
is  a  Christian  aim.  It  is  only  the  sign, 
never  the  substance,  of  the  gift.  The 
very  machinery  for  collecting  copper 
coin  rouses  and  releases  spiritual  energy. 
The  little  ugly  perforated  envelope  be- 
comes an  instrument  by  which  devotion, 
prayer,  brotherhood  and  sacrifice  may 
enter  in  and  take  possession." — Rhine- 
lander. 


VII 

AN    ADEQUATE    SUPPORT    OF    THE 
WORK 

I.  The  Policy  of  the  Board 

The  following  program  of  work  was 
adopted  as  the  Policy  of  the  Board : 

1.  To  occupy  and  hold  fields  where  the  Re-  The  Policy 
formed  Church  can  be  and  ought  to  be  estab- 
lished. 

a.  In  the  growing  centers  of  population  in 
the  East  and  West. 

6.  In  the  unoccupied  fields  of  the  West  and 
Northwest  and  the  South. 

2.  To  adequately  provide  for  the  people  of 
German  nationality  in  the  United  States  and 
the  Dominion  of  Canada,  among  whom  we  have 
ninety-four  Missions  at  the  present  time  with 
a  membership  of  6,265.  The  Reformed  Church 
is  responsible  for  at  least  a  double  number  of 
congregations  and  members  among  these  people. 

3.  To  Christianize  a  definite  number  of 
foreigners  who  come  to  this  country. 

a.  Hungarians,  of  whom  there  are  approxi- 
mately one  million  in  this  country.  The  Re- 
formed Church  is  responsible  for  at  least  250,000 
of  these. 

179 


180  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

6.  Bohemians,  of  whom  there  are  500,000  in 
America.  The  Reformed  Church  is  responsible 
for  at  least  125,000. 

c.  Japanese,  of  whom  there  are  about  75,000 
— 50,000  of  them  in  California.  The  Reformed 
Church  is  responsible  for  15,000  of  them, 

d.  Negroes,  of  whom  there  are  12,000,000, 
with  9,000,000  outside  of  the  Church.  The 
Reformed  Church,  in  association  with  the 
Council  of  Reformed  Churches  Holding  the 
Presbyterian  System,  is  responsible  for  4,000,- 
000. 

4.  To  develop  its  Church-building  work  so 
as  to  form  an  endowment  of  at  least  $500,000, 
to  assist  in  the  purchase  of  ground  and  the  erec- 
tion of  buildings  for  its  Mission  congregations. 

5.  To  make  its  quota  of  contribution  to  the 
Christianizing  of  the  social  conscience  of  the 
age. 

6.  To  educate  and  enlighten  the  entire  mem- 
bership of  the  Reformed  Church  with  the  view 
of  greater  interest  and  support  in  the  work  of 
the  Kingdom. 

7.  To  co-operate  with  other  Christian  bodies 
in  the  Christianization  of  a  strong  home  base 
with  a  view  of  accomplishing  the  evangeliza- 
tion of  the  world. 

The  work  on  its  present  basis  demands  ap- 
proximately $200,000  a  year.  The  adequate 
support  of  the  work  in  the  future  as  outlined 
in  the  terms  of  this  policy  will  ultimately  call 
for  $750,000  a  year. 

Recognizing  that  we  have  a  distinctive  work 
among  those  of  our  own  household  of  faith  and 
others  by  historical  and  national  traits  allied 


An  Adequate  Support  of  the  Work  181 

with  us,  we  beheve  that,  being  one  of  the  oldest 
Protestant  bodies  in  America,  we  have  a  nation- 
wide mission,  and  to  this  task  we  challenge  the 
earnest  support  and  co-operation  of  the  entire 
Church. 

From  the  foregoing  pages  of  this  study,  as  Reasons"for 
also  from  the  program  of  work  as  outlined  support^ 
in  the  terms  of  this  Policy,  it  will  be  observed 
that    the    expenditures    of    the    Board    are 
directed  into  a  number  of  different  channels. 

1.  The  Support  of  the  Missionaries.  The 
Missionaries  employed  by  the  Board  must 
be  paid  every  month.  Regularity  in  the 
receipt  of  their  salaries  is  essential  for  efficient 
work  on  their  part.  They  need  an  adequate 
support.  They  cannot  render  the  fullest 
and  freest  service  if  they  constantly  find 
themselves  in  financial  straits.  Many  of 
them  are  making  great  sacrifices  in  serving 
Mission  congregations.  In  the  nature  of 
the  case,  they  must  confine  their  effort 
largely  to  beginnings,  to  organization,  to 
the  erection  of  church  buildings,  to  the  gath- 
ering of  a  congregation.  They  do  not  have 
the  inspiration  of  large  numbers.  Usually 
they  have  but  a  few  faithful  souls  who 
gather  about  them.  They  are  obliged  to 
forego  many  of  the  attractive  features  which 
usually  attend  a  strong,  self-supporting  con- 


182  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

gregation.  As  a  rule,  they  have  an  inade- 
quate equipment;  no  big  building,  no  elabor- 
ate decorations,  no  pipe  organ  or  vested 
choir.  Besides,  they  can  never  expect  a 
large  or  ever-increasing  salary.  There  are 
no  five  or  ten  thousand  dollar  pulpits  among 
our  Home  Missions.  They  have  to  deny 
themselves  many  comforts,  not  to  speak  of 
luxuries  of  life.  They  can  not  build  up  their 
libraries  so  as  to  keep  abreast  with  the  age, 
nor  are  they  in  a  position  to  travel  and 
broaden  their  vision  and  experience.  These 
are  some  of  the  real  sacrifices  which  our 
Home  Missionaries  make  and  consequently 
their  support  should  be  adequate  and  regular, 
so  that  their  minds  and  hearts  may  be  re- 
lieved from  temporal  cares,  and  they  be 
enabled  to  render  the  service  to  which  they 
have  given  themselves  and  which  is  expected 
of  them, 
^j^  ■'^  2.  Assistance  in  Church  Building.     Large 

Building  demands  are  constantly  made  on  the  Board 

for  help  along  this  line.  It  is  absolutely 
impossible  for  a  great  majority  of  our  Mis- 
sions to  come  to  anything  like  an  adequate 
equipment  without  substantial  help  on  the 
part  of  the  Board.  The  Chapter  on  Our 
Church-Building  Funds  gives  the  data  and 


An  Adequate  Support  of  the  Work  183 

the  methods  of  help  on  the  part  of  the  Board 
in  this  field  of  missionary  activity. 

3.  Missionary    Education.     The    Church  Education 
needs  to  be  informed  and  enlightened  con- 
cerning the  work  of  Missions.     Consequently, 

a  certain  percentage  of  the  receipts  of  the 
Board  must  be  expended  in  this  direction. 
During  the  Triennium  1911-1914,  the  Board 
devoted  two  and  one-half  per  cent,  of  its 
receipts  in  educating  the  Church  at  large  on 
the  subject  of  Missions. 

4.  Administration.  The  work  of  Home  Running 
Missions  is  a  vast  business  enterprise.  Its 
executive  officers  and  its  office  equipment 
must  be  supported  and  maintained;  the 
Board  and  Executive  Committee  Meetings 
must  be  regularly  held;  Superintendents  and 
Secretaries  and  other  representatives  of  the 
Board,  must  travel  through  the  Church  in 

the  interests  of  the  work,  and  all  this  de- 
mands an  outlay  of  money.  During  the 
last  Triennium  seven  and  two-thirds  per 
cent,  of  the  receipts  of  the  Board  were  ap- 
plied to  the  administrative  and  field  work. 
The  following  table  from  the  report  of  the 
Treasurer  to  the  General  Synod  at  Lancaster, 
1914,  shows  the  percentage  of  expenditures 
on  the  part  of  the  Board: 


184  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

For  Missions,  including  Missionaries'  salaries,  Ger- 
man Boards,  Student  Work,  Colored  Missions, 
Harbor  Missions,  Special  Work,  Church-building, 
and  Japanese  Mission 88  %% 

For  Executive  and  Office  expenses,  including  salaries, 
traveling,  office  help,  legal  expenses.  Board  Meet- 
ings, etc 7%  % 

For  Education,  including  literature.  Mission  Study 

Department,  Home  Mission  Day  Service,  etc.  ...  23^% 

For  General  Expenses — interest  on  General  Fund 
Loans,  Home  Missions  Council  dues,  etc 1%+ 

Miscellaneous — Funds  distributed  through  the 
Board 3^%— 

100% 

II.  A  Campaign  of  Education 

An  adequate  support  of  the  work  is  condi- 
tioned upon  an  enlightened,  interested  and 
consecrated  constituency.  Education  along 
the  lines  of  missionary  endeavor  is  a  primary 
requisite.  This  is  accomplished  through  the 
following  factors : 
The  Pastor  1,  Tlw    PastoT.      ''The    most    important 

an  Inspira-  •       i         r      ,  •  ^       •  •      • 

tionai  Factor  smglo  lactor  lu  produciug  a  missionary 
church  is  of  necessity  the  pastor."  If  the 
pastor  is  on  fire  with  missionary  enthusiasm 
the  victory  is  in  sight,  provided  the  laymen 
of  his  church  will  back  him  up  and  co-oper- 
ate with  him.  He  holds  the  key  to  the 
situation.     His  spirit  and  influence  is  vital 


An  Adequate  Support  of  the  Work  185 

as  an  educational  factor  and  force.  Through 
the  pulpit  and  its  ministrations,  through  a 
wise  and  aggressive  leadership  in  organizing 
and  marshalling  the  forces  of  his  congrega- 
tion, in  keeping  the  missionary  idea  con- 
stantly before  his  people,  he  becomes  a 
potent  and  an  indispensable  factor  in  this 
educ'ational  process.  The  object  of  his  mis- 
sionary preaching  and  praying  and  planning, 
says  John  R.  Mott,  "is  to  ground  Christians 
in  the  principles  underlying  the  missionary 
enterprise;  to  inform  them  concerning  the 
facts;  to  educate  them  as  to  their  duty  in 
their  particular  day  and  generation;  and  to 
inspire  them  to  action."* 

2.  Missionary  Literature.  'Tacts  are  the  vaiueof 
fuel  with  which  missionary  fervor  is  fired 
and  fed."  From  the  very  beginning  of  our 
Home  Mission  work  the  importance  of  mis- 
sionary literature  was  recognized.  The  first 
publication  issued  by  the  Reformed  Church 
in  the  United  States  was  in  the  interests  of 
Home  Missions.  The  Board  of  Domestic 
Missions  was  established  in  the  year  1826. 
It  was  immediately  felt  that  if  the  Board 
was  to  carry  forward  its  work  with  any  de- 
gree of  success,  it  would  have  to  have  an 


'The  Pastor  and  Modern  Missions,"  p.  66. 


186 


Our  Home  Mission  Work 


Earliest 

Missionary 

Publication 


The  Mission- 
ary Herald 


organ  through  which  to  speak  to  the  entire 
Church.  Consequently  in  1828  ''The  Re- 
ligious and  Missionary  Magazine  of  the  Ger- 
man Reformed  Church"  was  established. 
Dr.  Lewis  Mayer  was  its  first  editor.  Its 
subscription  price  was  $1.50  per  year.  Later 
this  magazine  developed  into  "The  Reformed 
Church  Messenger,"  which  is  the  weekly 
church  paper  for  the  three  Synods  in  the 
East. 

The  Western  section  of  the  Church  in 
Ohio  likewise  felt  the  need  of  a  Missionary 
paper,  and  in  1847  there  was  published 
''The  Western  Missionary."  It  was  a  semi- 
weekly  paper.  In  the  year  1868  this  was 
changed  to  "The  Christian  World,"  which 
is  the  leading  weekly  church  paper  for  the 
Ohio  Synod.  It  will  thus  be  observed  that 
both  "The  Messenger"  and  "The  Christian 
World"  are  the  outgrowth  of  Missionary 
publications. 

In  the  year  1880  "The  Reformed  Mission- 
ary Herald"  was  published  under  the  aus- 
pices of  the  Tri-Synodic  Board.  For  a 
period  of  five  years  it  was  an  eight-page 
monthly,  when  the  size  was  reduced  to  four 
pages. 

In  the  year  1879  the  Rev.  S.  P.  Meyers, 
of    Tiffin,    Ohio,    edited    "The    Missionary 


An  Adequate  Support  of  the  Work  187 

Sentinel,"  which  in  1882  was  consolidated 
with  ''The  Missionary  Herald." 

In  1890  ''The  Herald"  was  merged  with 
''The  Guardian"  and  was  then  known  as 
"The  Missionary  Guardian."  This  was  con- 
ducted in  the  interests  of  Home  and  Foreign 
Missions  and  continued  until  1896. 

The  German  section  of  the  Church  since 
1885  has  been  publishing  "Der  Missions 
Bote." 

In  1896  the  Board  of  Home  Missions,  the  '^^^  "^^^'^s^ 
Board  of  Foreign  Missions  and  the  Sunday 
School  Board  began  the  publishing  of  "The 
Reformed  Church  Tidings,"  which  took  the 
place  of  "The  Reformed  Missionary  Herald." 
Its  first  editor  was  Rev.  Dr.  Rufus  W.  Mil- 
ler. He  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Dr.  C.  E. 
Schaeffer,  who  in  turn  was  followed  by  Rev. 
Dr.  G.  A.  Schwedes,  when  the  publication 
was  discontinued  in  1899. 

"The  Home  Missionary  Bulletin"  made  The  Bulletin 
its    appearance    in    September,    1903,    and 
continued   until   December,    1909,   when    it 
was  merged  with"  The  Outlook  of  Missions." 

The  Woman's  Missionary  Society  of  Gen- 
eral Synod  for  a  number  of  years  had  been 
publishing  "The  Woman's  Journal"  and 
also  "The  Mission  Helper,"  which  was 
edited  by  Miss  Rebecca  C.  Shively,  of 
Chambersburg. 


188 


Our  Home  Mission  Work 


The  Outlook 
of  Missions 


Congrega- 
tional Mis- 
sionary Com- 
mittee 


In  1910,  ''The  Outlook  of  Missions," 
which  had  been  started  the  previous  year 
by  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  became 
the  only  missionary  publication  issued  by 
the  various  Missionary  organizations  of  the 
Reformed  Church.  As  such  it  deserves  the 
hearty  support  of  every  one  interested  in 
the  extension  of  the  Kingdom  at  home  and 
abroad.  It  should  be  found  in  as  many  of 
our  families  as  possible.  Every  congrega- 
tion should  be  a  subscriber  to  this  monthly 
missionary  publication.  It  should  annually 
bind  its  volumes  and  keep  them  for  the  use 
of  missionary  leaders  and  others  who  may 
wish  to  refer  to  them. 

Every  congregation,  likewise,  should  have 
a  missionary  library  of  choice  books  and 
periodicals.  There  should  be  mission  charts, 
maps,  and  mottoes,  photographs,  and  stere- 
opticon  slides.  All  these  can  be  secured 
from  the  Board  of  Home  Missions.  A 
judicious  use  of  leaflets  and  pamphlets  issued 
by  the  Board  should  be  made.  Some  of 
these  publications  convey  the  richest  and 
ripest  facts  of  missionary  activity. 

3.  The  Missionary  Committee.  A  congre- 
gation, in  order  to  conserve  and  co-ordinate 
its  missionary  life,  and  project  itself  in  its 
endeavor  to  fulfill  its  missionary  obligation, 


An  Adequate  Support  of  the  Work  189 

must  organize  along  the  Hues  of  modern 
missionary  efficiency.  The  mission  of  the 
Church  is  Missions.  This  should  be  the 
dominant,  controlling,  governing  principle 
of  all  its  plans  and  purposes.  The  various 
efforts  along  missionary  lines  should  head 
up  in  a  congregational  Missionary  Commit- 
tee. This  Committee  may  be  composed  of 
the  presidents  of  the  Missionary  Societies, 
the  Chairmen  of  the  Missionary  Commit- 
tees of  the  organizations,  the  leaders  of 
Mission  Study  Classes,  the  pastor  of  the 
church  and  the  superintendent  of  the  Sun- 
day-school. Its  duty  is  to  lead  the  entire 
congregation  into  an  intelligent  and  growing 
appreciation  of  the  work  of  Missions.  Be- 
sides other  duties,  it  should  have  charge  of 
the  distribution  of  missionary  literature  and 
of  organizing  the  church  for  the  collecting  of 
benevolent  moneys. 

4.  Mission  Study.  The  value  of  system- 
atic, scientific  study  of  Missions  is  quite 
apparent.  It  widens  the  horizon  of  those 
who  engage  in  it,  lifts  them  out  of  their 
provincialism  and  gives  a  comprehensive 
and  minute  survey  of  the  needs,  the  prob- 
lems and  the  opportunities  of  the  task. 
Usually  this  study  is  carried  forward  by 
groups  of  individuals  numbering  from  eight 


Value  of  Mis- 
sion Study 


190  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

to  twelve.  As  many  classes  as  practicable, 
under  the  supervision  of  the  Missionary 
Committee,  may  be  organized  in  the  local 
congregation.  Sometimes  Adult  Bible 
Classes,  or  Christian  Endeavor  Societies  re- 
solve themselves  into  Mission  Study  groups. 
The  objects  of  the  Mission  Study  Class  are: 
''To  create  among  its  members  missionary 
convictions,  to  help  them  form  the  habit  of 
independent  study  of  Missions,  to  train 
them  so  far  as  practicable  for  advocating 
the  cause  of  Missions  and  for  teaching 
Study  Classes,  and  to  inspire  them  to  earnest 
efforts  on  behalf  of  the  world's  evangeliza- 
tion." Splendid  text  books  for  this  purpose 
are  available.  Summer  Conferences  in  vari- 
ous sections  of  the  Church  are  held  annually, 
where  leaders  are  trained  for  this  specific 
work. 

III.  The  Resources 

The    sources   whence   flows   the    Mission 
support  are  found  in  the  membership  of  the 
Church   and   in    the   various   organizations 
which  comprise  its  working  force, 
weajth^'*^  1.  Individuals.     The  per  capita  wealth  in 

the  United  States  is  $1,310.11.*    The  mem- 


*Siirvey  of  the  Reformed  Church,  p.  203. 


An  Adequate  Support  of  the  Work  191 

bership  of  the  Reformed  Church  shares  in 
this  average.  The  number  of  individual 
givers  and  the  amount  of  their  contribution 
should  be  greatly  increased.  If  every  one 
of  the  306,000  members  in  the  Reformed 
Church  were  to  give  on  an  average  of  two 
cents  a  week  for  Home  Missions  the  total 
amount  reahzed  would  be  more  than  $300,-  Possibiuties 

_  of  Enlarged 

000  annually;  if  every  one  were  to  give  live  Giving 
cents,  the  price  of  a  street  car  fare,  the 
amount  would  aggregate  $750,000;  the  price 
of  a  plate  of  ice  cream  a  week  would  net 
$1,500,000;  and  if  all  the  men  were  to  give 
on  an  average  of  one  cigar  a  day  the  total 
realized  in  one  year  would  be  approximately 
$1,000,000.  It  is  useless  to  waste  sympathy 
over  the  common  excuse  that  people  do  not 
have  the  money  that  is  required.  They  have 
it  and  prove  it  by  spending  it  on  themselves, 
on  things  that  minister  to  their  own  profit 
or  pleasure. 

There  should  be  individuals  throughout 
the  Church  who  would  support  this  work  by 
large  and  liberal  contributions.  The  cause 
is  of  sufficient  importance  to  appeal  mightily 
to  men  and  women  possessed  of  large  means. 
Other  denominations  find  their  benevolent 
work  greatly  advanced  by  munificent  gifts 
on    the    part    of    individual    givers.     The 


192 


Our  Home  Mission  Work 


Value  of 
Reformed 
Church 
Property 


Large  Givers 

Among 

Missions 


Reformed  Church  is  as  rich  in  men  and  money 
as  some  others,  and  all  that  is  necessary  is 
for  some  of  them  to  come  forward  and  lay 
their  offerings  on  God's  altar. 

2.  Congregations.  The  value  of  the  prop- 
erty of  the  Reformed  Church  in  the  United 
States  exceeds  twenty  million  dollars.  Many 
of  our  congregations  are  just  arriving  at  a 
point  in  their  history  when  they  can  begin 
to  do  large  things  for  the  cause  of  Missions. 
They  are  just  emerging  from  the  period 
when  they  had  to  build  new  churches  for 
themselves.  These  being  erected,  in  many 
places  the  present  generation  will  be  free  to 
apply  their  contributions  to  the  general  work 
of  the  Kingdom  rather  than  to  their  own 
local  needs.  Some  of  our  congregations  are 
giving  quite  liberally.  This  is  especially 
true  of  most  of  the  Missions.  The  question 
is  sometimes  raised  whether  a  Mission  should 
be  expected  to  give  to  the  general  work  of 
the  Church.  There  is  only  one  answer  to 
be  given  and  that  is  that  it  would  be  a  great 
injustice  to  deprive  a  Mission  of  the  blessing 
that  comes  through  the  exercise  of  the  grace 
of  giving.  But  all  of  our  congregations  can 
do  far  more  than  they  are  doing.  The  motto 
that  should  characterize  their  giving  should 
be  ''more  for  others  than  for  ourselves."    A 


An  Adequate  Support  of  the  Work  193 

truly  efficient  congregation  will  not  be 
satisfied  with  anything  less  than  this  stand- 
ard. 

3.  Organizations. 

a.  Sunday-schools.     A  large  source  of  mis-  ^^^^  ^  *^® 

.        -  J     ?  o        J  Sunday 

sionary  revenue   is   found   m   our   bunday-  school 
schools.     The  boys  and  girls  who  comprise 
the  bulk  of  our  Sunday-school  membership 
should  be  taught  the  principles  and  the  prac- 
tice of  giving  to  the  cause  of  Missions. 

b.  Christian  Endeavor  Societies.     Here  is  J*^^^, 
a  great  undeveloped  field.     The  young  men  societies 
and  women,  numbering  approximately  30,000 

in  the  various  Young  People's  Organizations 
of  the  Church,  furnish  large  opportunities 
for  fruitful  service  in  the  Kingdom.  For 
many  years  they  have  been  challenged  with 
the  support  of  a  Missionary.  The  Mission 
at  Omaha,  Nebraska,  has  been  assigned  to 
them.  The  amounts  which  they  contribute 
annually  do  not  nearly  support  the  mission- 
ary. Every  society  should  have  a  distinct 
part  in  this  special  work,  and  every  effort 
should  be  put  forth  to  meet  the  full  obliga- 
tion. 

c.  Missionary  Societies.  Missionary  socie-  women's 
ties  in  the  local  congregation  have  been  in  societies 
existence  from  the  very  beginning   of   our 

13 


194  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

organized  Home  Mission  work.  The  Wom- 
an's Missionary  Society  of  General  S3^od 
was  founded  at  Akron,  Ohio,  in  1887.  It 
is  an  organized  body  reaching  through  the 
Synods  and  the  Classes  to  the  individual 
congregations.  It  has  been  a  strong  factor 
in  the  development  of  the  missionary  life 
in  the  Church.  The  Board  annually  realizes 
from  this  source  an  amount  approximating 
$10,000.  The  Society  has  included  in  its 
budget  for  the  present  triennium  the  annual 

Support  ^^^  ^^  $9,218.40  for  Home  Missions. 

Individual  4.  Relating  Donors  to  Iiidividual  Missions. 

The  plan  of  having  individuals  or  self-sup- 
porting congregations  assume  financial  re- 
sponsibility for  one  or  more  Missions  is 
strongly  commended.  Such  an  arrangement 
serves  to  establish  closer  personal  relations, 
and  fosters  deeper  mutual  interest  between 
the  established  congregation  and  the  Mis- 
sion. It  makes  possible  an  exchange  of 
pulpits  between  the  regular  pastor  and  the 
Missionary,  and  puts  new  life  and  confidence 
in  the  Mission  as  well  as  a  quickening  mis- 
sionary spirit  into  the  self-supporting  church. 
The  time  is  at  hand  when  many  of  our  strong 
and  influential  congregations  should  support 
their  Mission  and  Missionary  in  some  other 
section  of  the  Church.     In  other  denomina- 


Missions 


An  Adequate  Support  of  the  Work  195 

tions  they  are  doing  this  with  splendid  re- 
sults, and  the  plan  is  worthy  of  trial  in  ours. 

Total  Financial  Income  op  the  Board 

From  1826  to   1863   (Organization  of  General 

SjTiod's  Board) S50,000 

From  1863  to  1890  (Reconsolidation  under  Gen- 
eral Synod's  Board) 598,253 

From  1890  to  1914 2,099,277 

Total $2,747,530 

Arranged  by  Triennittms 

1863  to  1866 $25,780 

1866  to  1869 57,844 

1869  to  1872 42,761 

1872  to  1875 44,000 

1875  to  1878 46,039 

1878  to  1881 55,039 

1881  to  1884 77,990 

1884  to  1887 105,039 

1887  to  1890 142,761 

$598,253 

1890  to  1893 149,793 

1893  to  1896 172,476 

1896  to  1899 229,918 

1899  to  1902 195,245 

1902  to  1905 233,722 

1905  to  1908 297,370 

1908  to  1911 317,029 

1911  to  1914 503,724 

2,099,277 


Total  in  Fifty  Years $2,697,530 


196  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

IV.  The  Methods 
The  Apportionment 

History  of  the       ^his  of  ten  abused  and  misunderstood  term 
meat  needs  a  word  of  explanation.     Every  three 

years  the  General  Synod  fixes  the  amount 
which  the  Boards  should  have  to  carry  for- 
ward their  work.  This  sum  is  divided 
among  the  District  Synods,  who  in  turn 
divide  it  among  the  Classes,  and  the  Classes 
among  the  Congregations.  In  1844  we  have 
the  first  trace  of  an  apportionment  when 
the  sum  of  S700  was  laid  on  ten  Classes,  but 
in  1845  the  Board  reported  that  only  six 
pastors  had  obeyed  the  order.  Subsequently 
it  became  the  accepted  financial  method  of 
the  Church  in  its  Home  and  Foreign  Mission 
work.  While  the  General  Synod  has  never 
made  any  apportionment  except  for  Home 
and  Foreign  Missions,  the  District  Synods 
and  the  Classes  have  apportioned  various 
other  items  of  benevolence  among  the  charges 
and  congregations. 

1.  Advantages  of  the  Apportionment  System. 

Advantages  a.  It  is  Something  definite. 

b.  It  has  gotten  many  congregations  to  do 
something  which  otherwise  would  have  done 
little  or  nothing. 


An  Adequate  Support  of  the  Work  197 

c.  It  throws  the  regular  missionary  agen- 
cies in  the  denomination  into  clear  relief. 

d.  It  gives  pastor  and  congregation  a 
fresh  lever  to  raise  a  given  amount. 

2.  Disadvantages  of  the  Apportionment  Sys- 
tem.* 

a.  It  is  inadequate  to  the  real  needs.     It  Disadvan- 
marks  the  minimum  and  not  the  maximum  *^^^ 

of  the  Church's  real  needs. 

b.  It  is  impossible  to  make  it  equitable. 
''To  make  a  mathematical  apportionment 
on  the  basis  of  membership  or  of  local  ex- 
penses or  of  past  beneficence  or  of  the  value 
of  church  property  or  a  combination  of 
these  elements,  must  of  necessity  ignore 
some  of  the  most  vital  factors  of  the  case." 

c.  It  may  easily  produce  a  false  concep- 
tion of  the  Church's  task. 

d.  It  carries  the  atmosphere  of  a  tax,  and 
this  is  fatal. 

e.  It  exalts  the  wrong  objective — the 
money  rather  than  the  work. 

/.  It  creates  frictions  criticism  instead  of 
enthusiasm  for  the  causes. 

It  might,  however,  be  inadvisable  because 
of  any  or  all  of  these  reasons,  to  abandon 


*For  a  strong  discussion  of  the  Apportionment  Plan 
Bee  Minutes  of  Honae  Missions  Council,  1914,  pp.  155  et  sq. 


198  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

the  Apportionment  System  altogether,  at 
least  not  until  a  better  and  more  adequate 
method  can  be  substituted. 

The  Budget 

DeflnitioQ  T^is  has  been  defined*  as  '^a  statement  of 

financial  policy  presented  to  or  passed  by  a 
legislative  body.  Such  a  statement  includes 
three  distinct  features: 

''  (a)  An  estimate  of  the  probable  or  neces- 
sary expenditures  for  a  given  period. 

"(6)  A  similar  estimate  of   the  probable 
income  under  existing  conditions. 

"(c)  A   statement   of  financial  proposals 
for  adjusting  the  income  to  the  expenditures 
whether  by  the  reduction  or  abolition   of 
existing  som-ces  of  revenue  or  the  establish- 
ment of  new  ones." 
Missionary^^^       The   General   Synod,    at   its   meeting   in 
ship  Commit-    Laucaster,    1914,    made    provision    for    the 
^^^  appointment  of  a  Missionary  and  Steward- 

ship Committee  to  whom  shall  be  entrusted 
the  financial  program  of  the  Church.  At 
the  beginning  of  each  fiscal  year  the  various 
Church  Boards  shall  submit  an  estunate  of 
their  proposed  expenditures  to  this  Com- 
mittee   in   accordance   with    appropriations 


*See  Survey  of  Reformed  Church,  p.  190. 


An  Adequate  Support  of  the  Work  199 

made  and  the  present  growing  need  of  theu* 
work.  This  Committee  shall  then  tabulate 
these  estimates  and  assign  to  those  churches 
making  an  Every  Member  Canvass  the  ap- 
proximate amount  that  would  be  expected  of 
them,  making  it  possible  for  such  congrega- 
tions, if  they  so  desire,  to  include  this  amount 
in  their  congregational  budget.* 

The  Every  Member  Canvass 

Experience  has  shown  that  the  Every 
Member  Canvass  is  the  most  effective 
financial  method  now  being  employed  by 
the  Churches.  There  are  at  least  eight 
arguments  that  have  been  advanced  in  its 
favor. 

1.  It  is  Scriptural.  Arguments 

2.  It  is  educational. 

3.  It  enlists  more  givers. 

4.  It  secures  much  larger  aggregate  offer- 
ings. 

5.  It  replenishes  the  Mission  Boards' 
treasuries  regularly,  preventing  indebted- 
ness and  financial  loss  through  interest  pay- 
ments. 

6.  It  does  not  decrease  but  actually  in- 
creases the  offerings  to  current  expenses. 

*See  Report  of  Special  Finance  Conunittee — Minutes 
of  General  Synod,  1914. 


200 


Our  Home  Mission  Work 


Forerunners 


A  Bit  of 
Scripture 


7.  It  is  fair.  ''Love  thy  neighbor  as 
thyself." 

8.  It  promotes .  prayer.  Each  weekly  of- 
fering becomes  an  act  of  worship. 

While  the  Every  Member  Canvass  is  ap- 
parently a  recent  method  to  be  introduced 
into  our  ecclesiastical  life,  it  is  interesting  to 
note  that  in  1851  ''the  Synod  directed  every 
pastor  either  himself  or  through  others  to 
canvass  his  charge  for  subscriptions  for 
benevolence  to  be  paid  yearly  or  oftener  and 
to  report  this  work  to  his  Classis,  each  Classis 
then  reporting  to  the  Synod,  so  that  the 
Synod's  Committee  on  the  State  of  Religion 
might  in  their  report  give  a  definite  state- 
ment of  the  outcome."  In  1855  Synod 
directed  every  Classis  to  black  list  charges 
failing  to  take  up  a  collection  for  Missions. 
In  1857  Dr.  Henry  Harbaugh  published 
"The  Lord's  Portion,"  and  at  various  times 
both  Synods  urged  the  congregations  to 
adopt  the  Apostolic  plan  of  benevolence,  the 
bringing  of  offerings  at  every  service.  In 
1867  the  General  Synod  again  urged  the 
Apostolic  plan  of  benevolence. 

The  Apostolic  or  Scriptural  Plan 

1  Cor.  16:2:  "Upon  the  first  day  of  the 
week  let  every  one  of  you  lay  by  him  in  store 


An  Adequate  Support  of  the  Work  201 

as   the   Lord   has   prospered   him."     Three 
things  are  to  be  noted: 

1.  Individually — ''Let  every  one  of  you." 

2.  Systematically — "Upon  the  first  day 
of  the  week." 

3.  Proportionately — ''As  the  Lord  has 
prospered  him." 

In  1851,  Dr.  Philip  Schaff  preached  a 
sermon  before  the  Synod  on  "Systematic 
Benevolence,"  which  was  published  and 
distributed  in  pamphlet  form,  and  in  which 
regular,  stated  giving  on  the  part  of  individual 
Christians  was  urged. 

Christian  Stewardship 
The  principles  of  Stewardship  are  these:    Principles 

1.  God  is  the  giver  and  is  the  absolute 
owner  of  all  things. 

2.  Under  grace  man  is  a  steward,  and  the 
steward  holds  and  administers  that  which 
he  has  as  a  sacred  trust. 

3.  God's  ownership  and  man's  steward- 
ship are  best  evidenced  by  the  systematic 
application  of  a  portion  of  income  to  the 
advancement  of  the  Kingdom. 

4.  Biblical  and  extra-Biblical  history 
points  to  the  setting  aside  of  the  tenth  of 
the  income  as  a  minimum,  and  indicates 
divine  sanction  of  the  practice  and  the 
amount. 


202 


Our  Home  Mission  Work 


Methods 


Giving  Men- 
tioned in  the 
Bible 


5.  There  should  be  careful,  intelligent, 
personal,  and  prayerful  consideration  of  the 
uses  to  be  made  of  the  money  thus  regularly 
set  aside.  This  will  require  study  not  only 
of  the  local  situation,  but  also  of  the  mis- 
sionary and  benevolent  work  of  the  Church. 

6.  Consistent  use  of  the  balance  of  the 
income  not  set  aside. 

The  methods  of  Stewardship  are  the  fol- 
lowing: 

1.  Actual  or  constructive  separation  of 
the  proportion  of  income  which  complies 
with  the  foregoing  principles. 

2.  A  pledge  in  writing,  in  advance,  of  the 
amounts  to  be  applied  to  the  regular  work 
of  the  church  (current  expenses,  missions,  and 
other  benevolences). 

3.  A  weekly  payment  of  the  amount  so 
subscribed,  deposited  as  an  act  of  worship 
at  a  public  service. 

4.  Payments  from  time  to  time,  out  of 
the  sums  set  aside,  but  not  previously 
pledged,  to  special  causes  as  may  be  desired. 

5.  A  plan  of  keeping  a  separate  ''Lord's 
Treasury"  is  recommended  for  those  who 
cannot  attend  the  services  of  the  chiu-ch. 

6.  Free-will  or  thank-offering. 

Giving  is  mentioned  1,565  times  in  the 
Bible.     It  is  not  enough  for  a  man  to  be 


An  Adequate  Support  of  the  Work  203 

simply  sentimentally  interested  in  Missions. 
"God  expects  cash  and  consecration,  gold 
and  goodness,  riches  and  righteousness  to 
increase  together." 

"Give,  give,  be  always  giving, 

Who  gives  not  is  not  living. 

The  more  you  give 

The  more  you  live, 

Give  strength,  give  thoughts,  give  deeds,  give  self, 

Give  love,  give  tears  and  give  thyself. 

Give,  give,  be  always  giving. 

Who  gives  not  is  not  living. 

The  more  you  give,  the  more  you  live. " 

V.  The  Means 

These  are  of  a  two-fold  character: 

1.  Financial — material.  These  are  repre-  Money 
sented  by  money.  Money,  as  Dr.  Schauffler 
says,  is  stored-up  personal  power.  It  is  the 
medium  of  exchange.  If  anything  else  were 
accepted  as  an  exchange  medium  this  would 
at  once  be  substituted  for  money  in  the  ex- 
tension of  the  Kingdom.  Until  then  money 
is  required.  Money  enables  a  man  to  multi- 
ply himself  manifold.  He  can  do  a  thousand 
things  at  one  time  with  his  money  that 
represents  him.  We  need  to  give  in  ever 
larger  amounts.  We  have  become  accus- 
tomed to  think  in  large  figures  in  the  busi- 
ness enterprises  of  the  world;  the  extension 


204  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

of  the  Kingdom  is  the  biggest  business  on 
earth  and  it  ought  to  be  financed  in  a  cor- 
respondingly big  manner. 

2.  Moral — spiritual.  Money  constitutes 
only  one  of  the  means  by  which  the  work 
must  be  supported.  No  man  can  give 
money  enough  to  discharge  his  full  obliga- 
tion in  extending  the  Kingdom  of  Christ. 
The  challenge  is  not  ''your  money  or  your 
life — it  is  emphatically  ''your  money  and 
Life  your  life."     There  must  be  a  stewardship 

of  life  as  well  as  of  money.  There  must  be 
a  consecration  of  personality  as  well  as  of 
purse.  Money  alone  will  never  convert 
the  world.  If  money  alone  could  save  the 
world  it  would  speedily  be  forthcoming. 
God  might  make  bare  His  holy  arm,  and  call 
in  the  riches  of  the  earth,  the  gold  and  the 
silver,  for  they  are  His,  and  the  cattle  upon  a 
thousand  hills  are  His,  and  all  might  bring 
their  treasure  unto  Him,  but  only  as  these 
gifts  of  earth  are  in  the  hands  of  a  truly 
consecrated  man  or  woman  can  the  work  of 
a  world's  redemption  go  forward.  Behold 
the  Kingdom  is  waiting  for  the  Man!  It  has 
ever  been  so,  and  when  he  finally  appears 
with  a  full  consecration  of  life  and  service 
is  the  Kingdom  truly  at  hand. 


An  Adequate  Support  of  the  Work  205 

What  a  wonderful  support  the  work  re-  Player 
ceives  through  a  praying  constituency!  There 
is  no  power  on  earth  comparable  with  that 
of  prayer.  It  has  pried  loose  continents 
and  lifted  them  bodily  up  to  Christ;  it  has 
removed  barriers  and  burdens  that  seemed 
insurmountable.  The  Laymen's  Missionary 
Movement  put  itself  on  record  on  this  sub- 
ject in  the  following  language:  "Prayer  is 
the  only  element  which  can  quicken  informa- 
tion into  inspiration,  transmute  interest  into 
passion,  crystallize  emotion  into  consecra- 
tion, and  coin  enthusiasm  into  dollars  and 
lives.  Resolved,  That  we  seek  by  every 
means  to  convince  every  man  that  whatever 
may  be  his  contribution  of  money  or  service, 
he  has  not  exercised  his  highest  influences, 
performed  his  whole  duty,  nor  enjoyed  his 
highest  privilege  until  he  has  made  definite, 
believing  prayer  for  Missions  a  part  of  his 
daily  life." 

QUESTIONS 

Aim:  To  understand  the  ways  and  means  whereby 
the  work  of  home  missions  is  supported  and  to  inspire 
individuals,  congregations  and  societies  to  greater 
liberality. 

/.  The  Policy  of  the  Board 

1.  Mention  the  seven  main  points  in  the  Policy  of 
the  Board. 


206  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

2.  How  much  money  will  the  work  of  the  Board 

ultimately  call  for? 

3.  What  are  the  main  channels  into  which  the  ex- 

penditures of  the  Board  are  directed? 

4.  What  are  some  of  the  reasons  why  the  Missionaries 

should  be  well  and  promptly  paid? 

5.  WTiat  is  the  percentage  of  cost  of  the  administra- 

tive work  of  the  Board? 

6.  What  per  cent,  of  the  total  income  is  expended  in 

the    direct    support    of    the    Missionaries?     for 
education? 

II.  A  Campaign  of  Education 

1.  How  does  the  Pastor  figure  as  a  factor  in  the  de- 

velopment of  missionary  education? 

2.  What  is  the  value  of  missionary  Uterature? 

3.  What  literature  would  you  regard  as  essential  in  a 

congregation  that  would  become  efficient  along 
missionary  lines? 

4.  What  is  the  nature  and  purpose  of  the  Missionary 

Committee? 

5.  Of  what  significance  is  Mission  Study  in  developing 

the  missionary  spirit? 

///.  The  Resources 

1.  What  is  the  average  wealth  of  the  American  citizen? 

2.  What  would  you  regard  as  a  worthy  per  capita 

contribution  for  Missions? 

3.  Should  a  Mission  congregation  be  excused  from 

contributing  to  the  general  work  of  the  Church? 
Why  not? 

4.  What  are  our  Sunday-schools  and  Christian  En- 

deavor   Societies    doing    for    Home    Missions? 
What  might  they  do? 

5.  How  does  the  Woman's  Missionary  Society  serve 

as  a  factor  in  our  Home  Mission  work? 


An  Adequate  Support  of  the  Work  207 

6.  What  is  your  impression  of  the  idea  of  relating 

donors  to  individual  Missions? 

7.  What  is  the  total  income  of  the  Board  since  its 

very    beginning?     What    during    the    last    fifty 
years? 

IV.  The  Methods 

1.  What  do  you  understand  by  the  Apportionment? 

2.  What  are  its  advantages?    What  its  disadvantages  ? 

3.  What  is  the  budget  system? 

4.  What  do  you  understand  by  an  Every  Member 

Canvass? 

5.  What  are  the  arguments  in  favor  of  an  Every  Mem- 

ber Canvass? 

6.  What  is  the  ApostoHc  Plan  of  Benevolence? 

7.  What  are  the  principles  of  Christian  Stewardship? 

8.  Define  the  methods  of  Stewardship. 

V.  The  Means 

1.  What  part  does  money  play  in  the  work  of  the 

Ivingdom? 

2.  What  are  the  spiritual  means  by  which  the  work  of 

the  Kingdom  is  supported? 

3.  How   does   prayer   relate   itself   to    the  work  of 

Missions? 

REFERENCES  FOR  ADVANCED  STUDY 

Stewardship  and  Missions — Cook. 
Missions  in  the  Sunday-school — Trull. 
Honor  the  Lord  with  thy  Substance — Whitmer. 
The  Pastor  and  Modern  Missions — Mott. 
A  Survey  of  the  Reformed  Church — Laymen's  Mission- 
ary Movement. 


208  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

Pamphlets 

Money:  Its  Nature  and  Power — Schauffler. 
The  New  Testament  Conception  of  the  Disciple  and 
His  Money — Bosworth. 

Money  and  the  Kingdom — Strong. 

Mission  Study:  Its  Value  and  Power — Sutherland. 

Mission  Study  Class  Manual — -Millikin. 

The  Life  of  Prayer — Doughty. 


THE  LARGER  MEANING  OF  HOME 
MISSIONS 


14 


"The  people  under  God  are  the 
strength  and  glory  of  the  land.  A 
mighty  land — to  glimpse  whose  future 
is  to  share  a  mission  with  the  stars;  to 
control  whose  destinies  is  to  stand  with- 
in the  grip  of  the  right  hand  of  the  om- 
nipotent God.  What  then  lovingly  and 
faithfully  to  follow  and  to  serve  all  the 
strange  and  complicated  paths  of  social 
duty  into  the  furthest  recesses,  the 
uttermost  nooks  and  crannies  of  human 
relationship;  to  control  their  inner  qual- 
ities and  apphcations  as  well  as  their 
outer  exhibitions  and  forms!  What 
then  to  occupy  this  land  for  Christ,  not 
fragmentarily  as  the  field  has  won  upon 
the  forest,  nor  fitfully,  as  the  wind 
sweeps  over  the  prairies,  but  search- 
ingly,  engulfingly,  as  the  waters  cover  the 
sea!  What  then  to  share  in  thy  social 
reaUzation  of  Christianity,  O  coimtry 
of  our  love! 

"And  crown  thy  good  with  brotherhood, 
From  sea  to  shining  sea!" 

— Douglass. 


VIII 

THE  LARGER  MEANING  OF  HOME 
MISSIONS 

Dr.  Joseph  B.  Clark,  one  time  Secretary  Expanding 

^  •  1      TT  -14 /r-      •  Horizon 

of  the  Congregational  Home  Missionary- 
Society,  in  his  illuminating  book,  ''The 
Leavening  of  the  Nation,"  says:  ''Few 
thoughtful  Americans  need  enlightening  as 
to  the  theory  of  Home  Missions."  This 
statement,  in  the  light  of  experience  and 
actual  fact,  can  be  accepted  only  with  a 
reasonable  degree  of  modification.  There 
still  prevail  some  very  crude  and  contracted 
notions  about  this  right  arm  of  the  Church's 
activity.  The  fact  is  that  the  conception 
of  Home  Missions  is  constantly  enlarging. 
Its  horizon  is  expanding.  A  definition  that 
at  one  time  fully  expressed  its  meaning  is  no 
longer  adequate.  Within  the  last  few  de- 
cades Home  Mission  leaders  have  been 
obliged  to  recast  their  program  and  to 
change  their  methods.  "The  new  wine  has 
burst  the  old  wine  skins."  Conditions  in 
America,  in  church  and  state,  are  changing. 

211 


212  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

New  problems  are  upon  us,  demanding  new 
obligations,  new  methods  of  approach.  The 
Church  in  this  new  age  must  know  how  to 
adjust  itself  to  its  new  task.  Home  Mis- 
sions, which  is  the  Church  in  its  outreaching 
and  expanding  life,  must  likewise  conform 
to  this  new  spirit  and  demand.  It,  therefore, 
merits  the  largest  possible  interpretation 
and  the  widest  application. 

In  the  study  of  the  evolution  of  the  mean- 
ing of  Home  Missions  we  begin  with  its 
elementary  and  fundamental  sense. 

I.  The  Founding  and  Fostering  of  New 
Congregations 

Colonial  This  may  be  called  the  Colonial  concep- 

onception  ^.^^  ^^  Home  Missious.  It  was  the  pre- 
vailing conception  when  America  was  young, 
when  men  and  women  ventured  forth  to 
carve  out  fortunes  for  themselves,  to  build 
up  new  communities  on  the  frontier,  or  in 
the  growing  centers  of  population.  It  was 
the  day  of  the  circuit  rider,  and  of  the  pioneer 
missionary.  A  nucleus  of  people  of  a  given 
denomination  desiring  the  ministrations  of 
their  own  church,  and  feeling  unable  out 
of  their  own  limited  resources  to  pay  for 
the  same,  appealed  to  the  church  bodies, 


Larger  Meaning  of  Home  Missions  213 

who  in  turn  supplied  them  with  pastors  and 
buildings. 

1.  Its   Imvortance.     We   must   not   mini-  importance  of 

1     T      1        1   •         1  (•  TT  HT-      •  Denomina- 

mize  nor  behttle  this  phase  oi  Home  Mission  tionai  work 
work.  Home  Missions  primarily  means  the 
extension  of  organized  Christianity  in  this 
country.  Its  avowed  purpose  and  object 
is  to  establish  the  Kingdom  through  and  by 
means  of  the  Church  as  the  visible  institu- 
tion of  Christ  among  men.  Every  denomina- 
tion in  the  land  owes  its  present  standing 
and  strength  to  its  Home  Mission  opera- 
tions. From  four-fifths  to  nine-tenths  of 
all  the  Evangelical  Protestant  Churches  in 
the  United  States  owe  their  origin  to  Home 
Missions.  Their  buildings  were  erected 
wholly  or  in  part  by  Home  Mission  money. 
Of  the  first  119  colleges  in  this  country,  104 
were  Christian  colleges,  and  of  the  415 
colleges  in  the  United  States,  316  belong  to 
Christian  denominations.  There  is  not  a 
college  in  the  Mississippi  Valley  over  fifty 
years  old  that  does  not  owe  its  origin  to  the 
Home  Missionary. 

In  the  Reformed  Church  during  the  last  Recruiting 
fifty  years,  over  500  congregations  have  been  ^^^^ 
founded  through  our  Home  Mission  work. 
If  it  had  not  been  for  the  recruiting  activity 
of  the  Board  of  Home  Missions  the  Reformed 


214 


Our  Home  Mission  Work 


Vital  Factor 


Ohiirchless 
Gommunities 


Limitations 


Church  today  would  have  fewer  congrega- 
tions than  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago. 

The  Home  Missionary  has  been  a  vital 
and  indispensable  factor  in  the  development 
of  the  religious,  educational,  social,  and 
political  life  of  the  nation.  He  has  laid 
broad  and  substantial  foundations,  and  the 
country  and  society  are  under  lasting  obliga- 
tions to  him.  But  his  work  and  his  contri- 
bution to  our  national  welfare  are  made 
possible  in  the  main  by  and  through  the 
Church  which  he  establishes. 

There  is  still  need  of  emphasis  on  this 
phase  of  Home  Mission  work.  There  are 
many  communities  which  are  practically 
churchless.  They  are  in  need  of  the  gospel 
message.  In  our  Western  plateau  section 
there  are  thousands  of  places  that  have  no 
Christian  Church.  There  are  vast  areas  in 
some  of  our  large  cities  that  are  spiritually 
desolate  and  where  churches  ought  to  be 
established.  There  are  multitudes  of  our 
brethren  from  other  lands  in  our  midst  who 
go  without  gospel  privileges.  We  must  not 
blindfold  our  eyes  to  the  great  spiritual 
needs  that  still  exist  in  many  portions  of 
our  land. 

2.  Its  Limitation.  After  all,  mere  de- 
nominational zeal  is  not  a  motive  or  incen- 


Larger  Meaning  of  Home  Missions  215 

tive  of  the  highest  type.  Denominational 
development  may  be  a  very  good  thing  or 
it  may  be  a  very  bad  thing.  Many  ecclesi- 
astical errors,  if  not  crimes,  have  been  com- 
mitted by  an  unwise  and  circumscribed  zeal 
for  one's  own  denomination.  What,  if  we 
awake  to  the  fact  that  there  are  210,250 
churches  in  the  United  States,  that  there  is 
a  church  to  every  425  persons  in  this  coun- 
try! The  argument  of  establishing  new 
churches  loses  some  of  its  force.  Besides, 
there  is  an  overlapping  of  churches  in  many 
communities.  While  vast  regions  are  being 
overlooked  there  are  many  other  sections 
where  there  is  a  senseless  overlapping  and  a 
woeful  waste  of  men  and  money.  Thought- 
ful men  and  women  today  will  not  close  their 
eyes  to  a  situation  of  this  character.  They 
will  not  be  willing  to  think  in  large,  broad, 
and  inclusive  terms  in  their  business  and 
social  relations,  and  then  move  in  narrow 
and  circumscribed  grooves  in  their  religious 
life. 

Home  Missions,  appreciating  its  denom- 
inational value,  must  nevertheless,  if  it  shall 
enlist  the  full  sympathy,  the  interest  and 
co-operation  of  high  thinking  men  and 
women,  move  into  a  larger  and  ampler  field 
of  activity. 


216 


Our  Home  Mission  Work 


Congrega- 
tional Con- 
ception 


IneflBcieicy 


Yitalization 


II.  Vitalizing  the  Self-Supporting  Con- 
gregation 

This  may  be  called  the  Congregational 
conception  of  Home  Missions.  To  hold 
what  we  possess  is  quite  as  important  as  to 
acquire  new  points.  The  inefficiency  of  the 
average  modern  congregation  is  a  matter  of 
frequent  comment.  The  irmnediate  prac- 
tical results  of  the  local  congregations  are 
not  as  a  general  thing  commensurate  with 
the  investment  of  men  and  money  in  them. 
They  do  not  obtain  the  spiritual  results  they 
might.  Many  of  them  are  smitten  with  the 
spirit  of  apathy  and  indifference.  A  feel- 
ing of  self-complacency  and  self-satisfaction 
has  stolen  over  them.  They  are  in  their 
winter  quarters.  They  are  not  on  the 
march.  Evidently  something  is  wrong  with 
many  of  the  churches  today.  They  have 
either  struck  an  iceberg  or  are  sinking  of 
dry  rot.  They  have  a  struggle  to  keep  them- 
selves from  going  under.  The  lowering  of 
life  boats,  the  reaching  out  for  life  preservers, 
the  modern  methods  of  acute  stimulation, 
and  the  almost  frantic  resorting  to  artificial 
respiration  are  symptomatic. 

The  local  self-supporting  congregation 
needs  to  be  vitalized.     It  must  come  to  a 


Larger  Meaning  of  Home  Missions  217 

realizing  consciousness  of  its  object  and 
mission  in  a  community.  It  is  not  a  self- 
centered  institution.  It  is  a  spiritual  power 
house,  a  vital  force,  a  fountain  of  life  in  the 
community.  It  must  be  sensitized  to  an 
appreciation  of  its  nation-wide,  its  world- 
wide relationship.  It  must  be  vitalized  and 
spiritualized  to  an  adequate  expression  of 
its  life,  in  the  form  of  service,  of  life,  of 
money.  The  average  congregation  has  lat- 
ent possibilities  that  have  never  been  touched. 
When  all  available  farming  land  has  been 
taken  up  the  scientific  agriculturist  betakes 
himself  to  intensive  farming,  and  makes  his 
limited  acres  produce  from  four  to  forty 
times  as  much  as  before.  When  the  ex- 
tensive fields  for  Home  Mission  enterprise 
become  less  numerous  it  is  the  part  of  wis- 
dom to  apply  some  efforts  to  the  intensive 
development  of  the  self-supporting,  but  too 
often  inefficient,  congregation.  Home  Mis- 
sions, therefore,  properly  relates  itself  to 
the  toning  up  and  the  training  of  the  unit 
of  the  denomination. 

III.  Evangelism 

This  constitutes  the  Conservationalcou-  ^^^^j""^' 
ception  of  Home  Missions.     The  doctrine  of  conception 
conservation  is  proclaimed  from  the  house- 


218  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

tops  today.  It  is  applied  to  almost  every- 
thing. It  is  a  good  thing  to  conserve  our 
natural  and  national  resources,  but  it  is  of 
still  greater  importance  to  conserve  our  re- 
ligious and  spiritual  resources.  Jesus  Christ 
was  the  greatest  conservationalist  in  history. 
He  said:  "Gather  up  the  fragments  that 
remain,  that  nothing  be  lost."  "The  Son 
of  Man  is  come  to  seek  and  to  save  that 
which  was  lost."  Evangelism  is  the  doc- 
trine of  religious  conservation  reduced  to 
practice.  The  fact  that  there  are  two  out 
of  every  three  persons  in  America  outside 
of  covenant  relation  with  Jesus  Christ  re- 
veals something  of  the  urgency  of  this  task. 
The  number  of  persons  who  drop  their  church 
membership  and  drift  back  into  the  world 
is  appalling. 
^^p^^  In  three  years  the  Reformed  Church  loses 

by  "erasure  of  names"  almost  as  many 
members  as  she  confirms  in  two  years.  In 
1913,  there  were  7,054  members  reported  as 
"erased,"  as  over  against  12,868  received  by 
confirmation.  And  this  was  the  result  of  an 
exceptional  year  on  the  part  of  our  Church. 
The  Reformed  Church  in  this  particular  is 
not  a  sinner  above  the  rest  of  the  denomina- 
tions. The  net  increase  in  church  member- 
ship for  1911  was  less  than  1.7  per  cent. 


Larger  Meaning  of  Home  Missions  219 

The  average  net  increase  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  was  that  year  less  than 
two  for  each  of  its  congregations;  and  of  the  leakages 
Presbyterian  Church  it  was  a  Uttle  better 
than  one  member  for  each  congregation. 
Through  the  combined  efforts  of  all  the 
Christian  forces  in  this  country  the  net  in- 
crease for  the  last  decade  has  been  less  than 
a  million  a  year — only  786,000  members. 
The  seriousness  of  this  condition  is  accentu- 
ated by  the  fact  that  a  round  million  of 
foreigners  crowd  in  upon  us  annually,  not 
to  speak  of  the  rapid  increase  of  our  native 
born. 

To  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  in  this  ^"^'''^^^ 
country  is  committed  the  stupendous  task 
of  evangelizing  the  multitudes  who  are  out- 
side of  Christ's  fold.  Mere  rescue  work, 
however  important  and  helpful  it  may  be, 
can  never  take  the  place  of  organized  Christi- 
anity. The  Report  of  the  Commission  on 
Evangelism  of  the  Federal  Council  of  the 
Churches  of  Christ  in  America  in  1913, 
says:  ''The  purpose  of  evangelistic  effort  is 
spiritual  rescue  and  the  relief  of  spiritual 
needs  by  means  of  the  preached  word,  and 
by  the  power  of  the  love  begotten  of  faith 
in  Christ,  which  seeks  to  bring  about  the 
internal  renewal  of  those  who  have  fallen 


220  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

under  the  dominion  and  rule  of  sin,  as  well 
as  the  removal  of  the  outward  evils  that 
spring  directly  and  indirectly  from  sin.  The 
fundamental  error  to  be  overcome  is  sin, 
and  external  need  can  best  be  relieved  by 
beginning  with  the  internal  necessity.  In 
this  we  have  the  precept  and  example  of 
Christ.  We  believe  in  works  of  Christian 
mercy,  but  there  must  be  the  faithful  preach- 
ing and  teaching  of  the  word  as  the  spiritual 
means  of  redemption.  Only  those  people 
animated  by  a  living  faith  in  Clu"ist  have 
ever  successfully  engaged  in  evangelism  or 
proven  to  be  great  spiritual  and  moral  forces 
in  the  Church." 
AJsSd  to  '^^^   General    Synod,    at   its   meeting   in 

Board  Laucaster,  1914,  assigned  the  work  of  Evan- 

gelism in  the  Reformed  Church  to  its  Board 
of  Home  Missions  with  instructions  that  it 
create  a  special  department  whereby  this 
work  can  be  properly  and  effectively  carried 
forward  in  the  Church.  Every  congrega- 
tion needs  to  become  an  evangelistic  force. 
There  is  need  of  men  and  women  who  are 
aglow  with  the  spirit  of  Christ  and  who  go 
forth  with  a  passion  for  souls.  This  is  a 
distinctive  phase  of  Home  Mission  work. 


Larger  Meaning  of  Home  Missions  221 

IV.  Social  Service 
This,  for  convenience,  may  be  denomin-  community 

.  r    TT  Conception 

ated  the  Community  conception  oi  Home 
Missions.  By  concurrent  conditions  we  have 
drifted  into  this  wider  appHcation  of  Home 
Missions.  The  organizing  thought  of  our 
age  is  the  principle  of  democracy.  We  can- 
not escape  it.  It  colors  all  our  thought  and 
actions,  theological,  social,  industrial,  polit- 
ical, national,  international.  It  has  brought 
God  down  from  the  clouds  and  has  lifted 
man  up  on  a  level  with  his  brother.  The 
conditions  of  modern  society  have  projected 
a  number  of  problems,  the  solution  of  which 
devolves  upon  the  Church.  These  prob-  Modem 
lems  are  (1)  racial.  Forty  different  tongues 
are  spoken  in  our  country,  a  dozen  colors  of 
skin  appear  among  the  people;  (2)  creedal. 
There  is  the  Christian  and  the  Jew,  the 
Romanist  and  the  Protestant;  and  Protest- 
tantism  presents  a  ''ragged  front;"  (3) 
social.  There  is  the  upper  class,  and  the 
submerged  section,  the  rich  and  the  poor; 
(4)  industrial.  Here  we  have  the  capitalist 
and  the  wage  earner,  the  employer  and  the 
employee. 

There    is    a    concensus    of    opinion    that  solutions 
society  in  all  its  manifold  phases  must  be 


222  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

spiritualized  and  saved.  And  there  are 
those  who  offer  their  services  for  the  aecom- 
phshment  of  this  great  task.  The  editor 
comes  forward  and  offers  his  solution. 
Through  the  press  he  would  enlighten  the 
intelligence  of  the  people  and  get  them  to 
think  in  constructive  and  statesmanlike 
fashion.  The  school  teacher  offers  his  con- 
tribution. "Give  me,"  says  he,  "the  child 
and  in  a  single  generation  I  will  produce  a 
new  type  of  humanity."  The  politician 
says:  "Elect  the  representative  of  my  party 
to  office  and  he  will  usher  in  the  golden  age." 
The  socialist  cries,  "Away  with  government, 
overthrow  the  existing  order  of  things  and 
begin  on  a  new  platform  of  equality."  Then 
comes  the  preacher,  the  man  with  the  living 
gospel  in  his  hand  and  in  his  heart,  and  he 
proclaims:  "I  am  not  ashamed  of  the  gospel 
of  Jesus  Christ,  for  it  is  the  power  of  God 
Gospel  for       xiuto  salvatiou  to  every  one  that  believeth." 

Every  Life  ^ 

and  for  And  he  is  right.     For  this  salvation  which 

Au  of  Life  ^Yie  gospel  brings  is  not  for  the  soul  only, 
but  also  for  the  body,  not  for  the  individual 
alone,  but  for  society  as  well.  It  is  salva- 
tion, industrial,  political,  social,  national, 
moral  as  well  as  spiritual.  The  gospel  is 
for  every  life  and  for  all  of  life. 

Robert  E.  Speer  says:  "The  Kingdom  of 


Larger  Meaning  of  Home  Missions  223 

God  cannot  come  save  as  the  winning  of 
individual  souls  to  Christ  is  accompanied  by 
the  transformation  of  human  institutions 
according  to  the  mind  of  Christ.  Home 
Mission  effort  will  halt  and  fail  except  as  it 
is  filled  with  social  passion."  The  ultimate 
purpose  of  Home  Missions  is  to  start  a  new 
spiritual  force  for  the  spiritualizing  and  the 
Christianizing  of  all  the  phases  and  aspects 
of  human  society  and  life.  Home  Missions 
will  not  have  exhausted  its  purpose  until 
every  common  bush  shall  be  aflame  with 
God,  untn  holiness  shall  be  inscribed  upon 
the  bells  of  the  horses,  and  every  kitchen 
utensil  shall  be  holy  unto  the  Lord;  until 
over  factory  and  workshop  shall  be  written: 
''We  are  laborers  together  with  God,"  until 
the  streets  of  our  cities  shall  be  transparent, 
of  pure  gold,  like  unto  the  City  of  God. 

V.  A  National  Issue 

Here  we  enter  upon  the  Continental  Theconti- 
conception  of  Home  Missions.  Our  task  is  conception 
nation-wide.  Everything  that  pertains  to 
the  welfare  of  the  nation  legitimately  comes 
within  the  scope  of  Home  Missions.  Dr. 
Henry  Van  Dyke  said:  ''Religion  and  pa- 
triotism are  the  two  great  passions  of  man 


/ 


224  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

and  both  unite  in  Home  Missions."  America 
must  be  saved  for  America's  sake.  The 
work  of  Home  Missions  becomes  as  import- 
ant and  large  as  the  destiny  and  mission  of 
the  nation.  America  occupies  a  strategic 
place  in  history.  It  is  the  chosen  nation  of 
God.  The  fingers  of  Providence  point  in 
this  direction.  Just  as  Palestine  and  Greece 
and  Rome  in  their  turn  were  the  representa- 
tive nations  of  the  world  and  God  used  them 
mightily  in  the  accomplishment  of  His  piu"- 

chosen  pose,   SO  America   today  with   its   gigantic 

resources,  its  geographical  location,  its  great 
men  and  women,  is  the  chosen  nation  of  God. 
But  God  never  had  a  chosen  people  save  as 
that  people  fulfilled  His  will  and  purpose. 
If  America  is  to  accomplish  its  divine  mis- 
sion it  must  be  permeated  and  pervaded  by 
the  spirit  of  Jesus  Christ.  It  must  be  a 
Christian  nation.  The  name  of  God  must 
be  not  only  on  its  minted  coin,  but  be  em- 
balmed in  the  life  and  character  of  its  people. 

Supreme  America  is  twice  over  the  richest  republic 

in  the  world,  and  it  is  destined  to  become 
still  greater  with  coming  years.  The  future 
development  of  the  country,  in  population, 
in  property,  in  power  is  well  nigh  boundless. 
How  to  head  up  this  material  gain  into 
moral  and  spiritual  power  is  the  supreme 


Larger  Meaning  of  Home  Missions  225 

question  of  American  Christianity.  How- 
to  turn  the  current  of  Christianity  over  this 
mighty  power  of  the  nation  and  harness  it 
for  the  Kingdom  of  God  is  the  paramount 
issue. 

Great  forces  are  marshalHng  themselves  two  Great 

m  .     .,.         .  Forces 

m  this  country,  iwo  great  civnizations  are 
meeting  on  the  Pacific  Coast,  which  is 
destined  to  be  the  Mediterranean  of  the 
World — one  is  the  civilization  of  the  West, 
the  other  of  the  East.  Occident  and  Orient 
meet  each  other  in  deadly  combat.  Which 
shall  prevail?  The  issue  depends  upon  the 
answer  which  the  Christian  forces  of  America 
give. 

VI.  An  International  Issue 

There  is  a  Cosmopolitan  conception  of  cosmopoutan 

,  1         /.    TT  Ti  r-      '  -r,     •  1  Conception 

the  work  of  Home  Missions.  It  is  not  a 
matter  of  geography.  Not  with  mountain 
or  sea  has  God  divided  His  work.  The  dif- 
ference between  Home  Missions  and  Foreign 
Missions  is  not  that  the  one  is  world-wide 
and  the  other  provincial  or  nation-wide.  It 
is  possible  for  Foreign  Missions  to  become 
quite  as  provincial  as  Home  Missions  is 
sometimes  said  to  be,  and  Home  Missions 
may  be  as  international  and  world-wide  as 
the    claims    of    Foreign    Missions.       ''The 


226 


Our  Home  Mission  Work 


The  Ameri- 
canization of 
the  World 


Impact  of 
Civilization 


Japanese 
Embassy 


Americanization  of  the  World"  is  a  current 
phrase  coined  by  the  late  W.  T.  Stead. 
''The  EvangeHzation  of  the  World"  is  the 
cry  of  modern  Missions.  America  is  to  be 
saved  not  only  for  America's  sake,  but  for 
the  world's  sake.  Lyman  Beecher  said 
"The  world's  hope  and  destiny  depend  on 
the  United  States."  Professor  Phelps  as- 
serted ''As  goes  America  so  goes  the  world  in 
all  that  is  vital  to  its  moral  welfare." 
Mathew  Arnold  said  "America  holds  the 
future."  Alexander  Hamilton  prophesied: 
"It  is  om's  to  be  either  the  grave  in  which 
the  hope  of  the  world  shall  be  entombed  or 
the  pillar  of  cloud  which  shall  pilot  the  race 
onward  to  millenial  glory."  William  Kin- 
caid  declared  "The  planting  and  nurturing 
of  churches  in  America  is  our  first  and  best 
work  for  the  world.''  The  testimony  of 
these  far-visioned  men  is  worth  regarding. 

The  impact  of  our  American  life  upon  the 
nations  of  the  world  is  of  tremendous  sig- 
nificance. We  preach  a  gospel  not  only  by 
the  Missionaries  we  send  into  all  the  world 
but  by  the  forces  of  our  civilization,  by  trade 
and  commerce,  by  our  attitude  and  temper, 
by  the  impact  of  our  whole  modern  life. 

Some  years  ago  the  Japanese  government, 
under  the  splendid  influence  of  the  Mission- 


Larger  Meaning  of  Home  Missions  227 

aries  of  that  country,  was  preparing  to  adopt 
Christianity  as  the  national  rehgion  of  the 
Empire.  Before  doing  so,  however,  it  sent 
a  commission  of  Japanese  to  this  country  to 
study  Christianity  at  first  hand.  They 
visited  the  various  portions  of  our  country. 
They  studied  life  in  our  cities,  in  our  places 
of  business,  in  our  great  industries,  as  also 
in  our  schools,  churches,  and  homes.  They 
were  deeply  impressed  and  reported  to  their 
government  that  Christianity  was  ideal  in 
theory,  but  that  it  did  not  work  in  practice. 
Thereupon  the  Japanese  government  de- 
clared that  the  time  had  not  yet  come  to 
adopt  Christianity  as  its  national  religion. 
The  attitude  of  the  people  in  America  thus 
temporarily  counteracted  the  influence  of 
the  Missionaries  whom  the  American 
churches  are  supporting  in  that  oriental 
country. 

America,  therefore,  holds  the  key  to  the  America, 
world's  Christianization.  America  is  the  instrument 
agent  under  God  to  bring  the  gospel  to  all 
the  world.  America  is  the  golden  goblet 
for  the  bringing  of  the  water  of  life  to  the 
famishing  nations  of  the  world.  America 
is  the  golden  candlestick  that  is  to  carry  the 
Light  of  Life  to  the  people  that  sit  in  dark- 
ness.    ''Ours  is  the  elect  nation  for  the  ages 


228  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

to  come.  We  are  the  chosen  people.  Oiirs 
are  the  promises,  promises  great  and  sm'e, 
because  the  emergency  is  great.  We  cannot 
afford  to  wait.  If  we  cannot,  the  world 
cannot  afford  to  wait.  The  plans  of  God 
will  not  wait.  These  plans  seem  to  have 
brought  us  to  one  of  the  closing  stages  in 
this  world's  career,  in  which  we  can  no 
longer  drift  with  safety  to  our  destiny.  We 
are  shut  up  to  a  perilous  alternative.  Im- 
measiu-able  opportunities  surround  and  over- 
shadow us.  Such,  as  I  read  it,  is  the  central 
fact  in  the  philosophy  of  American  Home 
Missions."* 

VII.  An  Interdenominational  Issue 
Co-operative        Here  we  come  finally  into  the  Co-opera- 

Conception  '' 

tive  conception  of  Home  Missions.  It  is 
plain  that  these  gigantic  problems,  these 
stupendous  tasks,  cannot  be  adequately  met 
by  a  single  denomination,  however  large  or 
influential  it  may  be.  The  united,  co-opera- 
tive effort  on  the  part  of  all  the  churches  is 
required.  The  united  churches  of  America 
are  equal  to  the  task.  It  is  a  hopeful  and 
healthy  sign  that  the  churches  are  co-opera- 
ating  in  a  common  task.     The  dream  of  the 


♦Clark,  "Leavening  of  the  Nation." 


Larger  Meaning  of  Home  Missions  229 

ages  is  strangely  coming  to  be  realized  and 
our  times  are  big  with  promise  for  the  future. 
In  this  nation-wide,  nay  in  this  world- 
wide task  the  Reformed  Church  through  its 
Board  of  Home  Missions  co-operates  in  a 
unified  program  of  advance: 

1.  With     the    Federal     Council     of    the  co-operating 
Churches  of  Christ  in  America. 

2.  With  the  Home  Missions  Council. 

3.  With  the  Alliance  of  Reformed  Churches 
throughout  the  world. 

4.  With  the  Reformed  Churches  in  Amer- 
ica holding  the  Presbyterian  System. 

Through  these  various  bodies  it  has  be- 
come possible  to  obtain  a  larger  vision  of  the 
work,  as  also  to  enter  into  a  fuller  service  of 
the  same.  The  problems  of  Home  Missions 
are  thus  being  handled  with  greater  effici- 
ency and  economy.  The  time  is  coming 
when  the  smaller  denominations  will  have  to 
do  a  large  part  of  their  Home  Mission  work 
through  these  federated  and  co-operating 
bodies.  These  bodies  are  now  dividing  up 
different  foreign  nationalities  among  the 
various  Home  Mission  agencies,  and  are 
looking  forward  to  a  mutual  exchange  of 
churches  so  as  to  prevent  future  overlapping 
and  waste.  The  United  Fields'  Surveys 
which  have  been  made  under  the  auspices 


230  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

of  the  Home  Missions  Comicil  have  dis- 
closed valuable  information  which  otherwise 
would  have  remained  hidden  for  many  years 
to  come. 

The  words  of  Rudyard  KipUng  fitly  express 
our  sentiments  along  the  line  of  Home  Mis- 
sion co-operation: 

"Now  this  is  the  law  of  the  jungle — 

As  old  and  as  true  as  the  sky — 
And  the  wolf  that  shall  keep  it  may  prosper, 

But  the  wolf  that  shall  break  it  must  die. 

As  the  creeper  that  girdles  the  tree  trunk — 
The  Law  rimneth  forward  and  back — 

For  the  strength  of  the  Pack  is  the  woK 
And  the  strength  of  the  wolf  is  the  Pack." 

The  growing  conception  of  Home  Missions 
may  thus  be  indicated  in  the  following  order: 

1.  The  Colonial. 

2.  The  Congregational. 

3.  The  Conservational. 

4.  The  Community. 

5.  The  Continental. 

6.  The  Cosmopolitan. 

7.  The  Co-operative. 

We  are  told  that  in  one  of  the  Napoleonic 
wars,  the  Emperor  had  commanded  the 
army  in  charge  of  Marshal  Lannes  to  take 


Larger  Meaning  of  Home  Missions  231 

the  city  of  Ratisbon.  On  the  inside  of  the 
wall  were  the  Austrians  with  musketry  and 
cannon.  Lannes  ordered  his  men  to  scale 
the  wall.  They  responded  and  were  cut 
down  by  the  Austrians  on  the  inside.  Again 
Marshall  Lannes  commanded:  ''The  city  of 
Ratisbon  must  be  taken.  Scale  the  walls." 
Again  the  soldiers  responded  and  were  cut 
down.  The  third  time  Marshal  Lannes 
commanded:  "The  city  of  Ratisbon  must  be 
taken.  Scale  the  wall."  The  soldiers  saw 
the  dead  and  dying  and  wounded  and  heard 
their  groans  and  saw  their  blood,  and  they 
stepped  back  and  said:  ''We  will  not  scale 
the  wall."  Then  Marshal  Lannes  dis- 
mounted, seized  a  ladder,  turned  to  his 
men  and  said:  "This  city  must  be  taken. 
The  Emperor  has  commanded  it.  Follow 
me  and  I  will  show  you  that  the  Marshal  of 
France  is  not  afraid  of  Austrian  bullets." 
They  scaled  the  wall  and  took  the  city  in 
the  name  of  their  Emperor!  America  must 
be  taken  for  Christ.  The  Emperor  of  the 
Universe  has  commanded  it.     Let  us  rally! 


232  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

QUESTIONS 

Aim:  To  realize  the  growing  conception  of  the 
WORK  OF  Home  Missions,  to  relate  it  to  the  work  of 
Evangelism,  Social  Service,  as  well  as  to  our  na- 
tional  AND   international  LIFE. 

7.  The  Founding  and  Fostering  of  New  Congregations 

1.  What  do  5'ou  understand  by  the  Colonial  concep- 

tion of  Home  Missions? 

2.  What  is  the  purpose  and  object  of  Home  Missions 

so  far  as  the  denomination  is  concerned? 

3.  What  does  the  Refonned  Church  owe  to  the  work 

of  Home  Missions? 

4.  What  are  the  Umitations  of  denominational  de- 

velopment? 

5.  Is  there  a  special  need  for  the  estabUshing  of 

many  new  Churches? 

6.  How  do  thoughtful  men  and  women  look  at  this 

problem  today? 

II.  Vitalizing  the  Self-supporting  Congregation 

1.  What  do  you  understand  by  the  Congregational 

conception  of  Home  Missions? 

2.  To  what  causes  do  you  attribute  the  present  in- 

efficiency of  many  congregations? 

3.  In  what  respects  must  the  local  congregation  be 

vitahzed? 

III.  Evangelis  m 

1.  What  do  you  understand  by  the  Conservational 

conception  of  Home  Missions? 

2.  In  what  respect  can  Jesus  be  spoken  of  as  a  Con- 

servationist? 

3.  To  what  do  you  attribute  the  lapses  in  the  present 

church  membership? 


Larger  Meaning  of  Home  Missions  233 

4.  Can  the  Church  rest  satisfied  with  its  proportion- 
ate rate  of  increase  in  membership? 

6.  What  is  the  chief  purpose  of  Evangehsm? 

6.  How  can  the  Board  of  Home  Missions  make  the 
work  of  Evangehsm  effective  in  the  Reformed 
Church? 

IV.  Social  Service 

1.  What  do  you  understand  by  the  Community  con- 

ception of  Home  Missions? 

2.  What  are  some  of  the  modem  social  problems 

pressing  for  solution? 

3.  What   remedies   are   being   offered    to    solve    our 

modem  problems? 

4.  In  what  respect  is  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  the 

adequate  remedy  for  the  social  and  moral  iUs? 

V.  A  National  Issue 

1.  What  do  you  understand  by  the  Continental  con- 

ception of  Home  Missions? 

2.  In  what  respect  is  America  the  chosen  nation  of 

God? 

3.  What  is  the  supreme  question  of  American  Christi- 

anity? 

VI.  An  International  Issue 

1.  What   do   you   understand   by   the   Cosmopolitan 

conception  of  Home  Missions? 

2.  In  what  sense  is  the  Americanization  of  the  World 

true? 

3.  What  do  you  understand  by  the  impact  of  our 

civihzation  upon  the  world? 

4.  How  does  the  status  of  Christianity  in  America 

affect  our  Foreign  Mission  work? 


234  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

VII.  An  Interdenominational  Issue 

1.  What  do  you  understand  by  the  Co-operative  con- 

ception of  Home  Missions? 

2.  With  what  bodies  does  the  Board  of  Home  Mis- 

sions at  present  co-operate? 

3.  What  effect  does  the  spirit  of  co-operation  have 

in  winning  the  nation  for  Christ? 

REFERENCES  FOR  ADVANCED  STUDY 

Missions  Striking  Home — McAfee. 
World  Missions  from  the  Home  Base — McAfee. 
Elementary  Forces  in  Home  Missions — Barnes. 
The  Horizon  of  American  Missions — McCash. 
The  New  Home  Missions — Douglass. 
Democracy  and  the  Church — Smith. 
The  Mission  of  Our  Nation — Love. 
Messages  of  the  Men  and  ReUgion  Forward  Movement, 
Volume  IV. 


APPENDIX  I 


The  following  persons  served  as  members  of  the  Board 
of  Home  Missions  from  1863  to  1914.  The  dates  mark 
the  meetings  of  the  General  Synod.  The  term  of  service 
was  for  six  years;  haK  the  number  of  members  were  elected 
at  each  meeting  of  General  Synod. 

186S 
Revs.  J.  H.  A.  BoMBERGER,  D.D.,  President, 

N.  Gehr,        I  yj^g  Presidents, 

P.  C.  Prugh,  [ 

Samuel  H.  Giesy,  D.D.,  Secretary, 

J.  G.  Wiehle, 

D.  Winters, 

G.  W.  WiLLIARD, 

J.  Lichtenstein, 
Elders  Charles  Santee,  Treasurer, 

John  Wiest,  Treasurer  Church  Extension, 
A.  H.  Baughman, 
G.  G.  Prugh. 


1866 

Revs.  J.  H.  A.  Bomberger,  D.D.,  President, 
Samuel  H.  Giesy,  Secretary, 
Benjamin  Bausman, 
Theodore  P.  Bucher, 
Nicholas  Gehr, 
George  W.  Williard,  D.D., 
Isaac  H.  Reiter, 

235 


236  Appendix 

Peter  C.  Prugh, 

J.  G.  WiEHLE. 

Elders  Charles  Santee,  Treasurer, 

John  Wiest,  Treasurer  of  Church  Extension, 
Andrew  H.  Baughman, 
Gideon  G.  Prugh. 


1869 
Revs.  Benjamin  Bausman,  President, 

Samuel  H.  Giesy,  Secretary, 

George  B.  Russell, 

Nicholas  Gehr, 

Daniel  Gans,  D.D., 

George  W.  Aughinbaugh, 

Daniel  Zacharias,  D.D., 

James  Bossard,  D.D. 
Elders  Charles  Santee,  Treasurer, 

George  Gelbach,  Treasurer  of  Church  Extension, 

William  D.  Gross, 

Jacob  Dietz. 


1S72 

Revs.  G.  B.  Russell,  President, 

John  Vogt, 

Nicholas  Gehr, 

Daniel  Zacharias,  D.D.,* 

Franklin  K.  Levan, 

Charles  F.  McCauley,  D.D., 

Henry  Hilbish, 

LuciAN  J.  Mayer. 
Elders  William  D.  Gross, 

George  Gelbach,  Treasurer  of  Church  Extension, 

Henry  Leonard, 

William  E.  Schmerz. 


*  Died  while  in  oflace. 


Appendix  237 


1875 
Bevs.  G.  B.  Russell,  D.D.,  President, 

W.  K.  ZlEBER,  D.D., 

Edmund  R.  Eschbach, 
J.  Spangler  Kiefper, 
John  B.  Kniest, 
D.  E.  Klopp, 

George  H.  Johnston,  Secretary, 
William  H.  H.  Snyder. 
Elders  Charles  Santee,  Treasurer, 
Daniel  W.  Gross, 
William  H.  Siebert, 
Christian  M.  Boush. 


1878 
Revs.   Jacob  O.  Miller,  D.D.,  President, 

John  A.  Peters,  Secretary, 

George  B.  Russell,  D.D., 

George  H.  Johnston, 

William  H.  H.  Snyder, 

John  M.  Titzel, 

John  Kuelling,  D.D., 

Cyrus  R.  Dieffenbacher. 
Elders  Charles  Santee,  Treasurer, 

William  D.  Gross, 

Daniel  W.  Gross, 

Christian  M.  Boush. 


1881 
RevB.   Jacob  O.  Miller,  D.D.,  President, 
George  Wolff,  D.D.,  Secretary, 
George  W.  Williard,  D.D., 
John  H.  Klein,  D.D., 
Jacob  Dahlman,  D.D., 


238  Appendix 

Calvin  W.  Heilman, 
Frederick  Pilgram, 
John  M.  Kendig. 
Elders  Charles  Santee,  Treasurer, 
William  D.  Gross, 
Abraham  Moyer, 
Christian  M.  Boush. 


188Jt 
Revs.   Jacob  O.  Miller,  D.D., 

George  Wolff,  D.D., 

George  W.  Williard,  D.D., 

John  H.  Klein,  D.D., 

Franklin  W.  Kremer,  D.D.,  President,  1885, 

Edmund  R.  Eschbach,  D.D.,  Secretary, 

John  A.   Peters,   President  after  Dr.   Kremer's 
resignation. 

John  W.  Love. 
Elders  Charles  Santee,  Treasurer, 

William  D.  Gross, 

Hiram  C.  Hoover, 

Christian  M.  Boush. 


IS  87 
Revs.   John  A.  Peters,  D.D.,  President, 

E.  R.  Eschbach,  D.D.,  Secretary, 

F.  W.  Kremer,  D.D., 
John  W.  Love, 

John  H.  Klein,  D.D., 
John  M.  Kendig, 
Dewalt  S.  Fouse, 
John  J.  Leberman. 
Elders  Charles  Santee,  Treasurer, 
John  S.  Zimmerman, 


Appencix  239 


Hiram  C.  Hoover, 
Christian  M.  Boush. 


1890 
Revs.   John  A.  Peters,  D.D.,  President, 

E.  R.  EscHBACH,  D.D.,  Secretary, 

John  H.  Sechler, 

Charles  F.  Kriete, 

John  Bachman, 

John  M.  Kendig, 

Dewalt  S.  Fouse, 

John  J.  Leberman,  D.D., 
Elders  Charles  Santee,  Treasurer, 

John  S.  Zimmerman, 

Hiram  C.  Hoover, 

Christian  M.  Boush. 


1893 
Revs.   John  A.  Peters,  D.D.,  President, 

John  J.  Leberman,  D.D.,  Vice  President, 

Thomas  J.  Barkley,  Secretary, 

E.  R.  Eschbach,  D.D., 

John  H.  Sechler,  D.D., 

Charles  F.  Kriete, 

John  Bachman,  D.D., 

Samuel  B.  Yockey,  D.D., 
Elders  James  T.  Reber,  Treasurer, 

Horace  Ankeney, 

Hiram  C.  Hoover, 

Christian  M.  Boush. 


1896 
Revs.   John  A.  Peters,  D.D.,  President, 

John  J.  Leberman,  D.D.,  Vice  President, 
Thomas  J.  Barkley,  D.D.,  Secretary, 


240  Appendix 

E.  R.   ESCHBACH,    D.D., 

John  H.  Sechler,  D.D., 
John  Bachman,  D.D., 
Charles  F.  Kriete, 
Samuel  B.  Yockey,  D.D. 
Elders  James  T.  Reber,  Treasurer, 
Horace  Ankeney, 

F.  G.  HoBSON, 
Christian  M.  Boush. 


1899 

Revs.   John  A.  Peters,  D.D.,* 

E.  R.  Eschbach,  D.D.,  President, 

John  J.  Leberman,  D.D.,  Vice  President, 
Thomas  J.  Barkley,  D.D,,  Secretary, 
Charles  F.  Kriete, 
John  H.  Sechler,  D.D., 
Jacob  Bachman,  D.D., 
Samuel  R.  Bridenbaugh,  D.D. 
Elders  George  W.  Stein,  Treasurer, 

F.  G.  HoBsoN, 

Christian  M.  Boush,  Treasurer  of  Church-build- 
ing Fund. 


1902 
Revs.   E.  R.  Eschbach,  D.D.,  President, 

John  J.  Leberman,  D.D.,  Vice  President, 
Thomas  J.  Barkley,  D.D.,  Secretary, 
P.  H.  Dippell,  D.D., 
John  H.  Sechler,  D.D.,t 
C.  E.  Miller,  D.D., 


*Died  1901. 
fDied  1905. 


Appendix  241 

Samuel  R.  Bridenbaugh,  D.D., 
John  Bachman,  D.D. 
Elders  George  W.  Stein,  Treasurer, 
James  T.  Reber, 
F.  G.  HoBSON, 

Christian  M.  Boush,  Treasurer  of  Church-build- 
ing Funds. 


1905 
Revs.   E.  R.  EscHBACH,  D.D.,  President, 

C.  E.  Miller,  D.D.,  Vice  President, 
Paul  S.  Leinbach,  Secretary, 

P.  H.  Dippell,  D.D., 

D.  W.  Ebbert — unexpired  term  of  Dr.  Sechler, 
M.  O.  Nace* — William  C.  Schaefper,  D.D., 

L.  B.  C.  LAHRt— E.  R.  Williard,  D.D., 

E.  VORNHOLT. 

Elders  George  W.  Stein,  Treasurer, 
H.  F.  Texter, 

F.  G.  HoBSONt — John  W.  Bickel, 
Christian  M.  Boush,  Treasurer  of  Church-build- 
ing Fund. 


1908 
Revs.   C.  E.  Miller,  D.D.,  President, 

William  C.  Schaeffer,  D.D.,  Vice  President, 

Paul  S.  Leinbach,  Secretary, 

E.  R.  Williard,  D.D., 

H.  H.  Apple, 

I.  C.  Fisher,  D.D., 

P.  H.  Dippell,  D.D., 

E.  Vornholt. 


*Died  1905. 
tDied  1906. 
16 


242  Appendix 

Elders  George  W.  Stein,  Treasurer, 
F.  C.  Brunhouse, 
H.  F.  Texter, 

Christian  M.  Boush,  Treasurer  of  Church-build- 
ing Fund. 


1911 
Revs.   C.  E.  Miller,  D.D.,  President, 

William  C.  Schaeffer,  D.D.,  Vice  President, 
Paul  S.  Leinbach,  D.D.,*  Secretary, 

E.  R.  WiLLIARD,  D.D., 

I.  C.  Fisher,  D.D., 
J.  Harvey  Mickley, 
P.  H.  DipPELL,  D.D., 
G.  D.  Elliker. 
Elders  George  W.  Stein, 

F.  C.  Brunhouse, 
P.  H.  Bridenbaugh, 
Christian  M.  Boush, 
J.  S.  Wise,  Treasurer. 


1914 
Revs.    C.  E.  Miller,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  President, 

William  C.  Schaeffer,  D.D.,  Vice  President, 
J.  Harvey  Mickley,  Recording  Secretary, 
I.  C.  Fisher,  D.D., 
C.  B.  Schneder,  D.D., 
P.  H.  DippELL,  D.D., 

E.  R.  WiLLIARD,   D.D., 

G.  D.  Elliker. 
Elders  George  W.  Stein, 

F.  C.  Brunhouse, 
P.  H.  Bridenbaugh, 
Christian  M.  Boush, 
J.  S.  Wise,  Treasurer. 

*Resigned  January,  1913.     Rev.  C.  B.  Schneder,  D.D.,  ap- 
pointed. 


Appendix  II 


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INDEX 


A 

Abandoned  churches,  87 

Administration,  183 

Akron,  Ohio,.  194 

America,  40,  41,  42,  224,  227 

American  Home  Missionary  Society,  24 

American  Missionary  Society  of  the  German  Reformed 

Chm-ch,  23 
Americanization  of  the  World,  226 
Annuity  Plan,   171 
Apartment  Houses,  82 
Apportionment,  for  Church-building,  165 
Apportionment,  General,  196 
Apportionment,  Advantages,   196 
Apportionment,  Disadvantages,   197 
ApostoUc  Plan  of  Benevolence,  201 
Auxiliary  Societies,  23 
Average  Church,  89 

B 

Bailey,   L.   H.,   quoted,  94 

Bauman,  Rev.  F.  C,  56 

Bell,  First  church,  15 

Bequest,  Form  of,  169 

Board  of  Home  Missions  recommended,  22 

Board  of  Missions,  24,  28 

Board  of  Missions,  assets  transferred,  162 

Boehm,  John  Philip,  17 

251 


252         Our  Home  Mission  Work 

Bohemians,  Number  in  America,  116 
Bohemian  Missions,  Origin  of,  117 
Bohemian  Missions,  Statistics  of,  117 
Bohemian  Missions,  Work,  116-119 
Bowling  Green,  Ky.,  Colored  Work  in,  124 
Budget,  The,  198 

C 

Canada,  Dominion  of,  39 

Canada,  Missions  in,  134,  143 

Canton,  Ohio,  53 

Catechetical  Instruction,  135 

Cathohcs,  Roman  and  Greek,  42 

Central  Sjmod,  Statistics  of,  139 

Central  Theological  Seminary,  53 

Chambersbm-g,  24 

Change  of  Name  of  Denomination,  39 

Chicago,  First  wliite  child  in,  73 

Christian  Endeavor  Mission,  193 

Christian  Endeavor  Societies,  193 

Christman,  Rev.  Jacob,  25 

Church-building  Funds,  Our,  153-176 

Church-building  Funds,  Plan  of,  160 

Church-building  Funds,  Summary  of,  164 

Church-building  Fund,  First,  161 

Church  Extension  Funds,  162 

Church  Erection  Funds,  163 

Church  Membership  in  U.  S.,  42 

Churches,  Number  of,  in  America,  215 

Church  of  Holland,  17 

Church,  Oldest  Protestant,  15 

Church  Property,  Value  of,  192 

City  and  Country,  71-97 

City  Growth,  Causes  of,  74,  75 

City,  The,  71,  72 


Index  253 

City  Mission  Work,  81 

City,  The  Church  in  the,  77 

City,  Reformed  Church  in,  79,  80 

City,  Missions  in  the,  80 

Clark,  Dr.  Joseph,  quoted,  227,  228 

Classes,  Original  eight,  21 

Coetal  period,  30 

Coetus,  19 

Colleges  founded  by  Home  Missionaries,  213 

Collection  for  Missions,  22 

Colored  Work,  123 

Colored  Work,  Permanent  Committee  on,  124 

Committee,  Missionary,  First,  22 

Congregations,  EarUest,  17 

Congregational  period,  30 

Congregationalists,  14 

Conquering  invasion,  126 

Consohdation,  27 

CooUdge,  quoted,  132 

Cooperative  Bodies,  229 

Corresponding  Secretary,  27 

Country  Church,  54,  86 

Country  Church,  Mission  of,  92 

Country  Life  Commission,  86 

Country  Life  Commission,   quotation  from  Report,   70 

Country  Church,  Contribution  of,  92,  93 

Coimtry,  Reformed  Church  in,  89 

Country  pastors,  89 

Crawford,  Rev.  John  H.,  61 

D 

Dakota,  North,  places  of  worship  in,  91 

Dark  Ages,  28 

Debt,  Burdened  by,  156 


254  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

Debts,  Evils  of,  156,  157 
Democracy,  Principle  of,  221 
Denominational  development,  215 
Domestic  Missions,  Board  of,  24 
Doughty,  quoted,  38 
Douglass,  quoted,  210 
Dudycha,  Rev.  James,  117 
Dutch  Reformed,  13,  14 

E 

Early,  Settlers,  Type  of,  in  West,  51 

Earliest  Congregations,  17 

East,  The,  44-50 

East,  Challenge  of,  49 

Eastern  Board,  German,  Statistics  of,  140 

Eastern  Pennsylvania,  45 

Eastern  Section,  Reformed  Church  in,  47 

Eastern  Synod,  47 

Eden,  59 

EUiker,  Rev.  G.  D.,  143 

EUis  Island,  111 

Epic  of  Twentieth  Century,  63 

Equipment,  Lack  of  proper,  83 

Erasure  of  names,  218 

EvangeUsm,  217 

Evangelism,  Report  of  Federal  Council's  Commission  on, 

quoted,  219 
Evangelism,  assigned  to  Board,  220 
EvangeUzation  of  the  World,  226 
Every  Member  Canvass,  The,  199 
Expenditures,  Percentages  of,  184 


Falkner  Swamp,  17 
Frederick,  Md.,  23 


Index  255 

Frederick,  Md.,  Evangelical  Church,  167 

Freund,  dor  Einwanderer,  112 

First  General  Exploring  Agent,  31 

First  Protestant  Sermon  beyond  Mississippi,  55 

First  Reformed  Minister  in  Ohio,  52 

Foreign  Missions,  225 

Foreigners  in  coal  mines,  107 

Foreigners  in  steel  and  iron  works,  107 

Foreigners  on  railroads,  107 

Fouse,  Dewalt  S.,  32 

Fritchey,  Rev.  John  G.,  61 

G 

Geographical  Center,  50 

Geographical  Position,  41 

General  Synod's  Board,  History  of,  26-30 

General  Synod's  Board  organized,  27 

Gerhart,  Rev.  E.  V.,  32 

German  Boards,  139 

German  Boards,  Relation  to  General  Synod's  Board,  144 

German  Immigration,  133-134 

German  Immigration,  Causes  of,  133 

German  Synod  of  the  East,  Statistics  of,  138 

Germans,  Immigration  of,  133 

Germans,  Characteristics  of,  135 

Germans,  Reformed  Church  and  the,  136 

German  work,  Our,  133-149 

Gift  Funds  explained,  171 

Giving  mentioned  in  Bible,  202 

Goebel,  Prof.  Julius,  133 

Gospel,  Power  of,  222 

Governor  Thomas,  45 

Grose,  quoted,  132 

Graflfenreid,  Christopher,  60 


256  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

H 

Hamilton,  Alexander,  quoted,  226 

Hansen,  Rev.  William,  142 

Harbaugh,  Dr.  Henry,  200 

Harbor  Mission,  The,  110,  139 

Hassel,  Rev.  C,  quoted,  142 

Headquarters,  34 

Heidelberg  University,  53 

Hiestand,  Henry,  25 

History,  Our,  13-36 

Home  Missions,  Community  Conception  of,  221 

Home  Missions,  A  National  Issue,  223 

Home  Missions,  Continental  Conception  of,  223 

Home  Missions,  Cosmopolitan  Conception  of,  225 

Home  Missions,  Co-operative  Conception  of,  228 

Home  Missions,  Larger  Meaning  of,  211-234 

Home  Missions,  Colonial  Conception  of,  212 

Home  Missions,  Congregational  Conception  of,  216 

Home  Missions,  Conservational  Conception  of,  217 

Home  Missions  Council,  58,  145,  146,  153,  229 

Home  Mission  Day,  165 

Home  Mission  Day,  Amounts  contributed  on,  166 

Houseless  Churches,  153 

Huguenots,  13 

Hungarian  Missions,  Origin  of  113 

Hungarian  Missions,  Location  of,  115 

Hungarian  Missions,  Statistics  of,  115 

Hungarians,  Nmnber  in  America,  113 

Hungarian  Students,  116 


Idaho,  Places  without  Church  in,  91 
lUiterates,  102,  103,  104 
Immigrant  Work,  Our,  101-129 


Index  257 

Immigrant,  First  law,  101 

Immigrant  Zone,  105 

Immigrant,  Religion  of  the,  107 

Immigrant,  The  Reformed  Church  and  the,  109 

Immigrants,  Total  number  of,  101 

Immigrants,  Ilhteracy  of,  104 

Immigrants,  Principal  occupation  of,  106 

Immigration,  New,  103 

Income  of  Board,  195 

Institutions  in  Eastern  Portion,  48 

Institutional  Work,  80,  81 

Intensive  farming,  217 

ItaUan,  Southern  peasant,  108 

Interior  Academy,  53 

Interior,  Synod  of  the,  56 

J 

Japanese  Embassy,  226 
Japanese,  Number  in  America,  119 
Japanese  Mission,  Origin  of,  121 
Jenner,  Samuel,  59 
Jubilee  Fund,  173 

K 

Keystone  of  American  Commonwealth,  51 

Kipling,  Rudyard,  quoted,  230 

Kossuth,  Louis,  114 

Kovacs,  John,  114 

Kriete,  Dr.  C.  F.,  quoted,  163 

Kun,  Rev.  Frank,  117 

L 

Lancaster,  General  Synod  at,  198,  220 

Land,  Dr.  Paul  H.,  112 

Large  Congregations,  16 

Layman's  Missionary  Movement,  9,  205 
17 


258  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

Leberman,  L.  D.,  27  -' 

Leidy,  Rev.  George,  61 

Lerch,  Rev.  D.  B.,  61 

Licentiates,  21 

Loan  Funds  explained,  171 

Lord's  Portion,  The,  200 

Louisiana  Purchase,  40 

Louisville,  Ky.,  Colored  Work  in,  124,  125 

Lutheran,  13,  14,  109 

M 
Maine,  20 

Material  Resources,  41 
Marshal  Lannes,  231 
Martin,  Rev.  Mr.,  60 
Mayer,  Dr.  Frederick,  quoted,  140-142 
Maryland,  47 
McAfee,  quoted,  12 
Members,  Net  increase  of,  219 
Methods,  Old,  obsolete,  84 
MichaeUus,  Jonas,  15 
Miller,  Rev.  Samuel,  31 
Missions,  First  formal  action  on,  21 
Mission  House,  53 
Mission  House  founded,  137 
Mission  Study,  189 
Mission  Study,  Objects  of,  190 
Missionary  and  Stewardship  Committee,  198 
Missionary  Committee,  188 
Missionary  Education,  183 
Missionary  Library,  188 
Missionary  Literature,  185 
Missionary  Literature,  History  of,  186,  187 
Missionary  Societies,  193 
Missionaries,  Support  of,  181 


Index  259 


Missionaries,  Sacrifices  of,  182 

Missionary  Superintendents,  31,  32,  33,  34 

Missouri,  Abandoned  Churches  in,  87 

Molnar,  Rev.  Charles  V.,  117 

Money,  personal  power,  203 

Montana,  Conditions  in,  91 

Moral  Resources,  204 

Mori,  Rev.  J.,  120,  121 

Morris,  S.  L.,  quoted,  64 

Mott,  John  R.,  quoted,  185 

Muehlmeier,  H.  A.,  136 

N 

Names,  Erasure  of,  218 

Neglected  Fields'  Survey,  91 

Negro  in  America,  The,  123 

Northwest,  Synod  of.  Statistics,  138 

New  Mediterranean,  The,  58 

Non-Church  Members,  42,  43 

North  CaroUna  Classis  organized,  61 

North  Carolina  Classis,  Institutions  under,  61 

North  Carolina,  Reformed  Church  in,  60 

Northwest  Territory,  40 

Nova  Scotia,  20 

O 
Officers  of  first  Board,  27 
Official  Name,  14,  39 
Ohio,  Early  history  in,  25,  26 
Ohio,  Population  of,  25 
Ohio  Classis,  Origin  of,  25 
Ohio  Synod  organized,  25 
Ohio  Synod's  Board  constituted,  26 
Omaha,  193 
Organ,  First  chiu-ch,  15 
Outlook  of  Missions,  188 


260  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

P 

Pacific  Coast,  56 

Pastor,  Educational  factor,  184 

Pastoral  oversight,  Lack  of,  21 

Pence,  John,  25 

Permanent  Committee  on  Colored  Work,  124 

Permanency  of  Mission,  154 

Piatt,  Dr.  Ward,  quoted,  119 

Plymouth  Congregational  Church,  121 

Poorman,  John  H.,  9 

Pohcy  of  Board,  179-181 

Population  of  U.  S.,  42 

Post  Mortuary  Note,  Form  of,  170 

Prayer,  205 

Presbyterians,  14 

Protestant  bodies  engaged  in  work  among  Immigrants,  123 

Prugh,  Dr.  John  H.,  113 

Pubhcation,  Board  of,  24 

Publications,  Missionary,  185-187 

R 

Railroad  mileage,  41 
Reading,  Pa.,  46 
Redistribution  of  population,  88 
Reformed  ancestors,  45 
Reformed  Church  estabUshed  in,  43 
Reformed  Churches,  14 
Reily,  James,  21 

Relating  Donors  to  Missions,  194 
Religion,  Low  estimate  of,  89 
Rehgious  Condition,  42 
Rescue  work,  80 

Resolution  by  General  Synod,  26 

Reverend  Deputies  of  the  Synod  of  South  and  North 
HoUand,  19 


Index  261 


Rhinelander,  quoted  178 

Richards,  Prof.  George  W.,  quoted,  14,  15 

Rudy,  Rev.  John,  61 

Ruetenik,  H.  J.,  136 

S 
Sacrament,  Building  a,  155 
Salem  Church,  Allentown,  46 
Schaff,  PhiUp,  quoted,  13 
Schaff,  Phihp,  111,  201 
Schlatter,  Michael,  19 
Sears,  Charles  H.,  quoted,  70 
Sermon  Beyond  the  Mississippi,  First,  55 
Sesqui-Centennial,  7 
Shively,  Miss  Rebecca,  187 
Sleeping  giant,  A,  49 
Skippack,  17 
Social  Service,  221-223 
Social  SoUdarity,  155 
South,  Early  history,  59-65 
South,  TraveUng  Missionaries  in,  61 
South,  Stronghold  of  Protestantism,  63 
South,  Opportunity,  62 
South  Carohna,  20 

South  CaroUna,  Reformed  Church  in,  61,  62 
Special  Finance  Committee,  198,  199 
Speer,  Robert  E.,  quoted,  223 
Springboro,  25 

Statistics,  Denominational,  44 
Statistics,  Home  Mission,  44 
Steamship  Companies,  105 
Stelzle,  Charles,  quoted,  75,  78,  100 
Stern,  Max,  136 
Stewardship,  Principles  of,  201 
Stewardship,  Methods  of,  202 


262  Our  Home  Mission  Work 

Summary  of  History,  30 

Summer  Conferences,  8 

Survey  of  the  Reformed  Church,  A,  9 

Susquehanna  Classis,  23 

Synods,  organized,  29 

Systematic  Benevolence,  201 

T 

Tenant  Farmers,  88 

Territorial  Expansion,  39 

Territory,  Our,  39-67 

Theus,  Christian,  62 

Tidings,  Reformed  Church,  187 

Transient  population,  82 

Traveling  Missionaries,  25,  31 

Tri-Synodic  Compact,  28 

Tulpehocken  Church,  92 

Turner  HaU,  118 

Twenty  Dollar  gold  pieces,  line  of,  42 

U 
Union  Churches,  46,  60,  89 

V 

Virginia,  Reformed  Church  in,  69 

W 

Wealth,  per  capita,  in  U.  S.,  190 

Weber,  John  William,  20 

West,  The,  50-58 

West,  the  Near,  50-54 

West,  Reformed  Church  in,  52 

West,  The  Far,  54-58 


Index  263 


West,  Influence  of,  58 

Western  Country,  21 

Western  Board,  German,  140 

Western  Board,  German,  Statistics  of,  143 

Western  Pennsylvania,  47 

Western  Work  Obstacles,  57 

White  Marsh,  17 

Whitmer,  A.  C,  152,  159 

Winebago  Indians,  138 

Wisconsin,  German  State,  134 

Woman's  Journal,  The,  187 

Woman's  Missionary  Society  Funds,  167 

World  Powers,  Five  Great,  41 

Y 

Yundt,  Rev.  Thomas  M.,  32 


Zone,  The  Immigrant,  105,  106 
Zone,  Industrial,  106 


Pnnceion  Throioqi 


l.cJl  Sem.narif-Spter    L.bf.vy 


1   1012  01116  2841 


DATE  DUE 

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